Slayer and Shadow
by shanejayell
Summary: Things have begun to change in the 'Wish-verse'
1. 0

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Slayer and Shadow Introduction  
  
It all began with just a simple wish....  
  
Cordelia Chase, unreasoningly angry over the turn her life had taken , blurted out, "I wish that Buffy had never come to Sunnydale!" Sadly, she did so with a vengeance demon called Anyanka nearby, who granted that wish, and remade their world.  
  
Sunnydale was transformed into a vampire ruled city, lead by the Master. Willow and Xander, once heroic champions, were vampire servants of the Master, torturing Angel for their amusement. A rag-tag band of vampire slayers lead by Rupert Giles tried to oppose him, but their efforts were mostly futile.  
  
Calling upon a scarred, bitter Vampire Slayer named Buffy they prepared for a final battle even as Giles worked to undo the wish that had created that world. The Master slew Buffy with his bare hands, even as the vampire slayers fell all around them, Willow being slain by Oz, even as Giles shattered the crystal of power belonging to Anyanka.  
  
Sunnydale was restored to normal, and that should have been the end.  
  
Anyanka, now simply calling herself Anya, desperately wanted to regain her power. Calling upon Willow wiccan assistance she tried to reach into that 'wish-verse' to retrieve her powers. They failed, but unknowingly they had brought something back with them.  
  
The vampire version of Willow had come to Sunnydale. Gathering hench- vamps, she sought to make this world like the one she had come from, but Buffy and her friends managed to round her up fairly quickly. But the vamp Willow was a disturbing revelation to the merry band, with her clear interest in the female of the species and kinky sexual nature.  
  
With Giles' assistance Willow reversed the enchantment, and after getting in a bit of a grope of her counterpart, vamp Willow went on home. Willow's boyfriend Oz left, and after a period of grieving Willow fell in love again, this time with a woman named Tara. Their lives went on, their love was challenged, broken, and ultimately restored before Tara was tragically slain.  
  
In the fanfic Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Itsumo means Forever, Willow has returned to Sunnydale to guard over the First, who was sealed away behind the Hellmouth by Buffy, Spike and Anya's heroic sacrifice. Still in shock over the return of Tara, the servants of the First conjured up the vampire Willow, hoping she could slay her twin.  
  
While Willow discovered her combat magic's couldn't directly effect her vampire twin, she could quite effectively contain her. At Faith's suggestion they were able to restore the soul of the vampiress, and then returned her home, unknowingly setting a new chain of events in motion... 


	2. 1

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Slayer and Shadow Part One  
  
The blonde walked down the street, looking around her nervously yet seemingly unaware of the escort she had picked up. She turned down an alley, stopping when she hit the brick wall. She turned, and saw the vampires waiting for her there.  
  
It was odd, seeing a human wandering around this vampire infested town, but the leader of the vampire gang wasn't going to toss away such a rare gift. His eyes narrowed in anger, since the Slayer had killed the Master, blood was in short supply around here. "This is gonna be fun," he smiled, his face twisted demonically.  
  
"Yes, it is," the blonde grinned, suddenly unafraid of ther creatures of the night. "Ready, partner?" Buffy loudly asked with a smile.  
  
"Ready," the voice spoke up from the mouth of the alleyway. The vampires quickly turned around in surprise to see a strange vampire standing there, a long black coat billowing around her legs. Red tinted brown hair fell into grim eyes that held no mercy at all. Willow took on the vamp-face as she said, "Let's go."  
  
They moved as one, Willow attacking them from one end, Buffy from the other. The Slayer fought with great intensity and almost suicidal recklessness, while Willow worked quite methodically, dropping her opponents one by one. In a matter of minutes eight vampires were dusted, leaving only a panting Slayer and a hungry Willow in their wake.  
  
"You'd think they'd stop falling for the little lost lamb routine," Buffy said with a smile.  
  
"We haven't let anyone escape to warn the others yet," Willow pointed out to her reasonably. She saw a trickle of blood snake down Buffy's arm from a shallow cut and had to gulp as the hunger surged. "I'll meet you back at the mansion," Willow said as she swiftly moved to walk away.  
  
"Wait a minute," Buffy reached out to grab at her arm, "what's wrong?"  
  
Willow had to fight to keep from going into vamp-face again as she softly growled out, "I'm hungry." Buffy let go as she took a half step back. Willow softly said, "I'm going to go see if I can find a mugger, or else I'll hit the hospital blood stores."  
  
Buffy watched her walk away silently. She forgot, sometimes, that Willow was a vampire, that she shared her seemingly human body with a blood hungry demon. Willow was kind, even gentle in the time that they spent alone together, and even out fighting the vampires she wasn't cruel, ending their lives quickly and efficiently.  
  
'If Willow was a normal vampire I'd have slayed her by now,' Buffy admitted to herself. Even when they had first joined forces she had been ready for Willow to turn, to try to attack her. But somehow, over the past two months, Buffy had felt her guard going down.  
  
'It's not just the soul,' Buffy mused as she made her way across the town, 'that vampire Angel had one and I still didn't trust him. It's something else about her. She cares, about me, this town, and those that the vampires hurt.'  
  
Buffy felt the presence as she pushed open the old front door and smiled. Willow had beaten her home once again. "How'd it go?" Buffy asked softly.  
  
"I visited the blood bank," Willow had a odd look on her face, and Buffy gave her a look. With a soft laugh Willow said, "The nurses put the packets aside for me." She shook her head slightly, "They were happy to see me."  
  
"They know the two of us are protecting the town," Buffy pointed out, "especially after we beat back that vampire attack a few weeks ago." Silently she added, 'And I think a few of the ladies were impressed with the chivalry you showed to them then, too.'  
  
"It's just a bit hard to get used to," Willow murmured. A grim expression, "I guess I'm more used to seeing people run from me in terror."  
  
"What you were," Buffy said softly, "is not what you are now."  
  
"That's not true," Willow shook her head, "the demon is still a part of me." More softly, "And I remember everything that I did then."  
  
"I know what you were," Buffy said softly, "I know you were one of the Master's favorites." Her voice took on a new intensity, "I've been watching you the past two months, and you are nothing like that viscious killer."  
  
Willow actually smiled at her, and it lit up her face. "Thank you," she said with gratitude in her voice, "I forget, sometimes."  
  
"Yeah, well," Buffy looked away uncomfortably. She still found it hard to explain what it meant to her, to have Willow standing by her side. Up until very recently she had been alone, taken from her mother and trained to be the Slayer. It had been the only thing in her life, no friends, family or other obligation to distract her.  
  
When she had faced the Master in the factory, she had known she was going to die. He was old, radiating power and darkness, with the odds so badly stacked against her there was no way she could win. With the ragtag band of vampire hunters backing her up, she had marched towards the Master, towards her own death.  
  
Then she appeared.  
  
Dropping down from a catwalk above Willow landed right behind where the Master stood. She grasped him from behind, holding him fast, even as she cried out to the Buffy, "Do it!"  
  
She didn't hesitate, with a single fluid movement Buffy had drived the sharp stake right into the Master's chest. Willow released him, and the Master gazed at her in shock as he weakly said, "You were one of my favorites..."  
  
The Master fell to the floor, his body converting to a cloud of dust and ash. Strangely his skeleton remained intact on the cement, but Willow raised up a block of metal and dropped it on top of them, shattering it to fragments.  
  
Buffy looked down at the pile of ash, then looked up thoughtfully at Willow, taking in the leather clad vampiress. Buffy raised the stake even as she softly said, "You're a vampire, too."  
  
Willow spread her arms wide and said to her softly, "Do what you must."  
  
Their eyes met, vampire and human, a deeply searching glance. Buffy lowered the stake, "You're not like other vampires, are you?"  
  
"I guess not," Willow answered softly.  
  
"I'll probably have to stick around for awhile," Buffy had said quietly..  
  
Willow picked up the long leather coat from the ground, shaking out the vampire dust that still clung to it. She slid it on over her own leather dress easily, and as Buffy watched her walk towards her it felt so right, somehow.  
  
"I'd like to help, too," Willow's voice was soft, looking at Buffy's face.  
  
Buffy met her eyes, and she was surprised that she felt no fear at all. She nodded slightly, admitting, "I could use the help."  
  
Willow brought Buffy back to the present with a gently touch on the arm. "Are you all right?" Willow asked with a gentle smile.  
  
"Sorry, just lost in my thoughts," Buffy answered.  
  
"It happens," Willow smiled slightly as she lead Buffy from the large front hall into the depths of the mansion itself. Long abandoned it had been taken as a nest for vampires until Willow and Buffy had cleared them out. Taking it as a spoil of war they had set up shop there, moving into an oddly domestic arrangement.  
  
As they entered the kitchen Buffy remembered something. Slightly sheepishly she said, "I forgot to pick something up on the way home."  
  
Willow opened up the refridgerator, revealing a large silvery case laying on the bottom shelf, containing her packets of blood. Other than that, there were pretty slim pickings. With a sigh Willow said, "I'll see what I can throw together from the leftovers."  
  
"You don't have to.." Buffy started.  
  
"If I don't," Willow said pointedly, "you'll just go out looking for a pizza or burgers or some other kind of junk food." The vampire shook her head ruefully, "How you managed before I came along I don't know."  
  
"Neither do I," Buffy admitted, sounding almost fond. As Willow bustled about the massive kitchen something that had been bugging Buffy slipped out, "Are you a lesbian?"  
  
The egg slipped from Willow's fingers to fall to the floor with a loud splat!  
  
To be continued... 


	3. 2

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Slayer and Shadow Part Two  
  
The sound of the egg hitting the floor was loud in the near silence.  
  
"Sorry," Buffy hopped to her feet to grab the paper towels, "I didn't mean..."  
  
"It's all right," Willow knelt down beside her to help with the clean up, "the question just startled me a bit, I guess."  
  
"Well," Buffy smiled slightly, "I did find you in that lesbian club a few weeks ago ..."  
  
Willow winced slightly at that.  
  
She had stumbled upon Arisugawa's Locket by accident, and had been mildly surprised when she wasn't turned away at the door. Instead the bartender had poured Willow a glass of blood and rum as if it was the most normal thing in the world to do, then left her alone to drink it in peace. The only odd thing was that the bartender and another lady had seemed to recognize her, holding a whispered conversation before the lady came down the bar towards her.  
  
She moved over to Willow's side and introduced herself as Arisugawa Juri. Quietly she asked, "Anything I can do?"  
  
With a surprisingly gentle smile Willow said, "Sorry, not much." She raised her glass and slugged back the rest of the booze before adding, "Not unless you can absolve me of more than a decade of evil deeds."  
  
"I can't really do that," Juri admitted quietly. She signaled Ryouko, and Willow could tell by the scent that the drink she delivered was just colored ginger ale. "Best thing I can suggest is to try to balance the scales," she continued.  
  
Willow nodded thoughtfully, "That's what she tries to tell me, too."  
  
"She?" Juri had asked, trying to change the topic.  
  
Willow actually found herself smiling slightly, "Buffy. I helped her defeat the Master a few weeks back, and we've been working together ever since."  
  
"Master," Juri raised a eyebrow, chuckling as a evil thought occurred to her. Willow looked over at her curiously so she said, "I suppose his first name wasn't Bator?"  
  
Willow put the two words together and made a face, "That's bad."  
  
The two young women finished cleaning up the kitchen floor, then Willow went back to making up an improvised omelet for her partner. "I was a bit surprised that you followed me in there," she pointed out.  
  
Buffy actually blushed slightly under Willow's gaze. She still didn't quite know why she had been shadowing Willow that night. 'Be honest,' she thought, 'you were worried about her.' Willow had been so depressed, she was scared she might do something rash. Buffy faced down the bouncer and walked down a dark hallway, only to meet the most cheerful young lady she had seen in a while.  
  
"Welcome to Arisugawa's Locket," the girl said with a smile, "I'm Hitomi."  
  
"Buffy," she had answered as she looked around her curiously. She pushed her hand through her hair nervously, "I'm looking for a friend of mine."  
  
Hitomi didn't say anything, just tried to look helpful.  
  
"She's a redhead, very pale, and likes to wear leather," Buffy actually blushed a bit as she described Willow to the girl.  
  
"Willow, right?" Hitomi asked cheerfully. At Buffy's surprised nod she said, "She's over at the bar, at least she was the last time I saw her."  
  
"Thanks," Buffy moved out into the crowd. The women all cleared the way for her, and she soon saw Willow sitting at the bar, talking to another woman there. She was a bit surprised to feel an odd flash of emotion, a bit of jealousy.  
  
'I've only know her for a few weeks,' Buffy thought to herself, surprised. But this was the first time she had really had a partner, someone who fought beside her, back to back. She certainly didn't have any claim on the vampiress, so why was she standing here wishing that the orange haired lady would just go away?  
  
Willow noticed Juri looking out into the crowd, and then the lady smiled slightly. She looked over at Willow, "This Buffy, is she a really intense looking, butch blonde?"  
  
Willow blinked, "Well, yes."  
  
Juri discretely pointed, "I think she followed you here." She got up and stretched, "I think I'll go call my girlfriend." With that, she got up and left.  
  
Buffy sighed in relief, settling down in the seat Juri had vacated. She smiled at Willow nervously and blurted, "Who's your friend?"  
  
Willow looked at Buffy softly answering, "She works here, and was making sure I wasn't going to be trouble."  
  
Buffy puffed out a breath, feeling relieved as she said, "Oh, good."  
  
Willow raised her eyebrow at that.  
  
Back in the kitchen Willow added ham, green peppers and some grated cheese to the egg before folding it neatly over. She walked to the fridge then stopped, "Do you mind?"  
  
"It's fine," Buffy smiled.  
  
Willow took one of the packets of blood from the case, then got out a saucepan. She tore open the packet and poured it into the pan, heating it up to body temerature. "About your question," Willow started to answer.  
  
"Never mind," Buffy smiled gently, "I was being rude."  
  
"No," Willow shook her head, "it's a reasonable question." She leaned up against the counter, "I'm just not quite sure how to answer it."  
  
"What do you mean?" Buffy blinked.  
  
"I though I was in love with Xander," Willow admitted softly, "but now that I've regained my soul, I can see that I wasn't. Then there was my double.."  
  
Buffy tried not to react to that. She still found it hard to accept that there was a Sunnydale so completely different from the one she knew. Still, Willow claimed to have seen it herself, and for now that was good enough for her.  
  
"I was surprised how... attracted I was to her," Willow admitted. She smiled at Buffy wryly, "I guess I'm pretty confused about it all."  
  
"I guess so," Buffy agreed. Her eyes widened in alarm, "Dinner!"  
  
"Eep," Willow turned around and quickly got the steaming blood and eggs off the front burners, thankfully not catching any scent of their burning. "They both look all right," she smiled in honest relief, "let's eat."  
  
The table was cleared, the stakes, holy water, crosses and garlic transfered over to the pile of stuff on the couch. "What?" Buffy said when Willow gave her a look, "at least it's all organized."  
  
"You are such a slob," a sighing Willow shook her head as she sat Buffy's plate down, then poured her blood into a soup bowl and got a spoon out. They both dug into their respective meals, Willow spooning her blood out while Buffy ripped into her omlete.  
  
"I guess part of why I asked," Buffy admitted, "was because I'm a little confused myself."  
  
Willow hesitated, "Really?"  
  
To be continued...  
  
Author's Notes: Part of this chapter appeared in an episode of my fanfic Arisugawa's Locket. The characters from that series are Juri from Revolutionary Girl Utena, Ryouko from Tenchi Muyo, and Hitomi from Escaflowne the Movie. 


	4. 3

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Slayer and Shadow Part Three  
  
In what was once the living room of the rundown mansion they used Buffy sighed to herself happily, sitting there along with Willow at the battered old dining table eating some more of her freshly made omlette. With all her battle scars and tough attitude the domestic scene should have looked a bit strange, but it all fit, somehow.  
  
"What you have to understand," the vampire slayer looked up at Willow and softly said, "is that I've never really had a close friend before."  
  
Across the table from Buffy in her leather fetish dress Willow stopped cold, with a spoon full of the warmed blood halfway to her mouth before blurting out, "What?"  
  
The thin blonde looked uncomfortable as she continued. "You see, I was recruited to be a slayer when I was pretty young." Buffy looked off into the distance, "After I was trained, I and my Watcher moved around alot, handling whatever menace that needed to be delt with. We didn't stick around long enough to make friends with the locals."  
  
"It sounds very lonely," Willow agreed. The redheaded vampire tilted her head slightly and asked, "Was your Watcher a friend to you at all?"  
  
"He tried to be," Buffy smiled, "but he was a bit of a stuffed shirt. Wesley never did really manage to connect to me." She shook her head, "Anyway, what I was saying was that I've never really been close to someone before."  
  
Willow looked over at Buffy thoughtfully, wondering at how the young woman had coped for so very long. At least Willow had a few close friends before she was made into a vampire, and steady companionship even after her transformation. From the sound of it, Buffy had neither of those things for a long, long time.  
  
"Then I'm glad that we're becoming friends," Willow smiled.  
  
"So am I," Buffy smiled. She sighed as she gazed at the vampire, "What I'm less thrilled by is trying to figure out if you're becoming more than a friend to me."  
  
Willow wasn't quite sure how to advise her. She was unsure of her own sexuality, much less trying to figure out Buffy's! "Before I became a vampire, I had crushes on other young women," she admitted. She looked over at Buffy, "Did you?"  
  
"Once," Buffy actually blushed a bit, "I trained with another Slayer for awhile, Kendra. I liked her, and wanted to..." She trailed off.  
  
"Hmm," Willow nodded, then an odd look appeared on her face, "I thought there was only one Slayer in the world?"  
  
Buffy's mouth twisted in a bitter smile, "The Watchers' Council tried a little experiment, once. They intentionally stopped my heart to see if another Slayer might awaken if I was temporarily dead. It worked, but they had a hard time reviving me."  
  
"They nearly killed you?" Willow growled, jumping up from her seat like a shot and her face shifting from human to vampire mode. She got a grip on her temper, but it clearly was taking some effort as she grumbled, "How DARE they?"  
  
"Thanks," Buffy surprised her by saying.  
  
Willow sat down with a frown, "Why are you thanking me?"  
  
"You really do care," Buffy said with a fond smile. More softly, "No one in the Watchers even protested when that was done to me." Her smile suddenly turned evil, "I can just imagine what would have happened if you had been there."  
  
"There wouldn't still be a Watchers' Council if I had been there," Willow scowled fearsomely. She took a breath and shook herself, "Sorry, lost it a bit there."  
  
"Trust me, I do appreciate it," Buffy smiled. She picked at her food for a bit before bringing the conversation back on track, "I just don't know how to define what I'm feeling about you." She looked up, fearing the sight of rejection in Willow's eyes.  
  
Instead, Willow gave her a gentle smile. "Do you have to define it?" Willow asked her. She hesitated, "Lets assume for a moment that you have fallen for me."  
  
"And?" Buffy prompted her after a few moments of silence.  
  
"Buffy, I'm a monster." Before she could protest it Willow held up a pale hand, "It's true, and you know it. I'm a animated corpse that's been possessed by a demon, the very thing that you've been trained all your life to fight against."  
  
"You're more than that," Buffy frowned.  
  
"Maybe," Willow nodded her agreement, "but the only thing that's holding my demon side in check is my human soul." With a soft sigh she confessed, "And occasionally, it can barely hold back the monster inside me."  
  
"What do you mean?" Buffy asked.  
  
Willow looked down at her near empty bowl uncomfortably. "Tonight, after the fight," she said softly, "you were bleeding. And I... wanted to feed off you, badly."  
  
Buffy hesitated, "I'm not sure I'd mind that."  
  
Willow gazed at her in shock, "Oh, no!" She shook her head, "I wouldn't trust myself not to hurt you, Buffy." Much more quietly, "I couldn't stand that."  
  
"Maybe I should be asking you about what you feel for me," Buffy said softly.  
  
"Confused," the vampire admitted.  
  
Willow went around the table and picked up her empty bowl and Buffy's scrapped clean plate before she carried them into the kitchen, Buffy following close behind. What had once been a stinking mess now cleamed, the counters and sink spotless and the stove fully repaired.  
  
"You're not getting away with just giving me an answer like that," Buffy perched up on one of the counters, giving Willow a slight smile.  
  
Willow ran hot water, squeezed soap in and then put the pots, pans and plates into the water to buy herself a bit of time. She actually found she enjoyed doing things like this, they reminded her of what it had been like to be human. 'And,' she had to admit as she concentrated on her washing, 'I like doing it for Buffy.' She ventured a look up, only to find Buffy staring at her patiently.  
  
"You're relentless, you know that?" Willow sighed.  
  
"Yep," Buffy answered simply.  
  
"I've never really been in love before," Willow finally shrugged. She looked at Buffy fondly, "I have no idea how it feels, or what to expect." She scrubbed a pan for a moment, "The only thing that I do know is that I care about you very much."  
  
"So what do we do now?" Buffy asked quietly.  
  
"Give it some time," Willow smiled. She put a plate in the drying rack, then lay a slightly damp hand on Buffy's own, "When we're both sure, when we're ready..."  
  
"All right," Buffy covered Willow's hand, squeezing gently.  
  
In another part of the city, a bus came to a gradual stop at the depot. The doors banged open and a black haired young woman climbed out, standing there a moment looking around her curiously. "So this is Sunnydale," Faith murmured.  
  
"It's good to see you," Giles said quietly.  
  
"What's the situation?" Faith asked him crisply.  
  
Reluctantly Giles said, "We may have a rogue slayer on our hands."  
  
To be continued... 


	5. 4

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Slayer and Shadow Part Four  
  
Willow could feel it, an odd sensation from the back of her skull. She yawned as she said, "The sun's going to be coming up pretty soon." She got up from her seat and with a slight smile asked, "You mind if I go catch some Z's?"  
  
"Yeah, you stayed up most of the day yesterday, when you helped me clean out those tunnels beneath this place," Buffy agreed.  
  
Willow paused in the doorway of what they both thought of as her bedroom, "Do me a favor, and don't go down into those tunnels just yet, all right? I want us to do another sweep down there together, just in case."  
  
Buffy smiled, "You know I can take care of myself, Will."  
  
"Maybe," Willow agreed, "but just let me worry about you, too."  
  
"Thanks," Buffy said fondly. The sunlight began to come inside weakly through a upper window so she softly urged Willow, "Good night."  
  
"Good night," Willow smiled a bit sadly as she closed the door behind her, retreating into the pitch darkness once again.  
  
Buffy made her way down the hall, entering her own room. It was a bit messy, but nothing compared to the sort of places she used to live in. Willow had taken her firmly in hand, reminding her to clean up after herself. The drawers slid open, and Buffy pulled a fresh T-shirt and jeans out before walking to the bathroom to shower.  
  
As the slim blonde scrubbed away all the grime from the night slaying, she thought of how different this was from what her life had been like over the past few years. Since her mother's death from cancer she had been all but raised by the Watchers' Council, her entire focus on her vampire slaying. Ordinary things like clothes, food, had all been taken care of by the Watchers, and she had been encouraged to disregard them.  
  
Willow, on the other hand, had taken all the beat up clothes she had been wearing and tossed them. Together they had bought Buffy an entire wardrobe, clothes that were comfortable and suited to slaying, but still pleasing to the eye. Then she pestered Buffy about washing them, taking care of her clothes, and also on taking care of herself.  
  
Buffy had to laugh to herself softly, remembering how Willow had reacted to the sort of take-out foods she ordered. Burgers, a box of greasy fries, a fatty milkshake, all off them guzzled down as fast as she could manage. Food had always just been Slayer fuel to her before, she hadn't really cared what she was eating. Willow hadn't converted her to vegetarian eating yet, but she was having Buffy eat better, healthier food.  
  
After toweling herself off Buffy slipped the fresh set of clothes on, then she pulled her boots and leather jacket on. From a drawer she drew stakes, a vial of holy water and garlic, hiding them in her clothes. After checking to make sure Willow's bedroom was locked from the inside she made her way out, locking the front door behind her.  
  
Standing out in the warm sunlight Buffy took a deep breath, smiling. "It's going to be a good day," she sighed happily.  
  
Later that afternoon in the Sunnydale high school, the library was cool, dark and oddly dry as Faith sat at one of the many tables, quietly drinking down a reviving cup of strong coffee. She looked up at Giles as he took a seat beside her at the round table, fixing him with an questioning gaze.  
  
"I noticed from how you said it that you're not entirely sure that she's a rogue slayer. Why do you think so?" Faith asked him pointedly.  
  
Giles sighed, "Because she has allied herself with a vampire."  
  
Faith's lips twisted in a slight smile, "I hope that's not the only reason you've got, considering I've done the same thing myself."  
  
Giles' glasses actually slipped down his nose a bit as he looked at her in honest surprise, "You're not serious, are you?"  
  
"A vamp who called himself Angel, along with his crew up in LA," Faith explained to him patiently, "it seems he was cursed with a soul centuries ago." She frowned slightly when Giles reacted to the name, "You've met him?"  
  
"He was here," Giles reluctantly admitted.  
  
"He was dusted?" Faith asked him. When Giles nodded grimly she sighed softly, "He always was a bit fatalistic, saying that his true destiny was twisted, somehow. Hope it wasn't the Slayer you mentioned that did him in."  
  
"No, he was slain in the middle of a battle," Giles reported. He took his glasses off, wiping at them absentmindedly, "How were you able to tell that Angel had a soul?"  
  
"Well, he didn't try to bite innocent people for one thing," Faith said dryly. She tilted her head to the side, "You think this vamp who's hanging with the Slayer is ensouled too?"  
  
"Willow," Giles murmured, "and from what you've told me, along with her behavior I suppose that it could be possible."  
  
Faith sat up in her chair, "Willow Rosenberg?!" She shook her head, "Man, that vamp had quite a reputation! Playing with her food and everything." Her voice dropped a bit, "If she's still her typical vamp self, it could be trouble."  
  
"That was the primary reason I called you," Giles agreed. He slipped his glasses back on, "With the sun up, the vampire is confined to her lair, but Buffy should be out and about. This could be the perfect opportunity to attempt to contact her."  
  
"Sounds like a plan," Faith got up, stretching.  
  
"Then the only difficulty is going to be in determining where she might have gone," Giles frowned, deep in thought .  
  
"You have any nightlife in this town?" Faith asked as they stepped out into the hallway.  
  
"The Bronze, I suppose," Giles offered, "why?"  
  
"The first place I'd go if I got a day off was to get a drink and then dance a bit," Faith shrugged, "so we'll go try there first. If that's a bust, we'll start searching."  
  
"Oh, right," Giles followed her, shaking his head slightly.  
  
Buffy paid the cover charge cheerfully, then headed into the Bronze itself. Because of how early it was there wasn't much of a crowd, and she was able to sweep the place pretty quickly. 'No vamps,' Buffy thought, feeling a bit of relief.  
  
"Slayer," the brown haired woman behind the bar nodded.  
  
"Tara," Buffy nodded to her in return. She didn't know too much about the slightly heavy woman who was currently running the Bronze, just that she had a lot of knowledge, both about the supernatural and the demonic worlds.  
  
"Heard you and your partner were busy last night," Tara wiped a glass out, setting it on the bar before pouring a whisky.  
  
"Somewhat," Buffy agreed. She sipped a bit, letting the booze burn it's way down. Drinking was one of the few bad habits that Buffy tenaciously held onto, even with all of Willow's good natured meddling. "Any trouble here?" she asked.  
  
"Nothing I and the coven couldn't handle," Tara answered her serenely.  
  
'And she's a wiccan,' Buffy amended the list of things that she knew about Tara. Originally she hadn't wanted to believe in witchcraft, but after seeing that power in action, well, she changed her mind about it very quickly.  
  
"I understand that the Watchers Council has sent someone out to investigate the situation here," Tara remarked casually.  
  
Buffy made a face. "Willow told me not to tell off the Watcher, I just didn't listen," she sighed. Buffy looked hopeful, "You wouldn't know about who they sent?"  
  
The sound of a door opening behind Buffy, and Tara's eyes narrowed slightly. "Looks like they just arrived," she said regretfully.  
  
Buffy turned casually, and instantly recognized the librarian, Giles. Beside him a dark haired young woman met her gaze frankly, a strength and determination in her stance. The two crossed the Bronze, heading right for her. Tara tensed behind her, and she remembered her mentioning a feud between the coven and the Council.  
  
'Great,' Buffy thought grimly, "she can take Giles, I get the girl.'  
  
"Are you Buffy?" the dark haired girl asked with an easy grin on her face, "My name's Faith, the Vampire Slayer."  
  
To be continued... 


	6. 5

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Slayer and Shadow Part Five  
  
Buffy met the dark haired woman in the eye, and knew that she was telling her the truth. Whatever else Faith might be, she was a vampire Slayer. "Would you care for a drink?" she asked, gesturing her towards a seat by the bar.  
  
"Wouldn't mind," Faith smiled as she sat down.  
  
"Ah, well," Giles blinked in surprise, then the Englishman shrugged slightly. "Why not," he sat down as well.  
  
"What can I get for you?" Tara asked coolly. The brown haired wiccan bartender seemed a bit on edge, looking at the two of them warily.  
  
"Whiskey with ice," Giles surprised them slightly by ordering.  
  
"Rum and coke," Faith smiled wryly.  
  
Buffy waited until Tara served the drinks before the slim blonde asked, "So why am I being graced with a meeting by a rep. of the Watchers Council and another Slayer?"  
  
"The Watchers Council is very concerned by your recent behavior," Giles said a bit uncomfortably.  
  
"Why?" Buffy said pointedly, "I'm slaying more vampires now than ever before."  
  
Faith smiled wryly, "They figure you've gone over to the dark side because you teamed up with that vampire."  
  
"Then if you have a problem with me," the woman emerged from the shadows, "you should take it up with me." Willow smiled slightly, her reddish brown hair flowing around her pale face, a paleness intensified by the black leather overcoat she wore.  
  
"Back, spawn of darkness," Giles held up a cross.  
  
Willow seemed completely unfazed, "I used to be Jewish." She looked over at Buffy to gently ask, "Are you all right?"  
  
"Better now that you're here," Buffy smiled.  
  
Willow moved forward to take a seat at the bar, nodding to Tara. Keeping a careful eye on Faith she asked Giles, "So?"  
  
Giles still seemed a bit stunned that the cross didn't work. "How did..." he asked weakly.  
  
"I suppose it's a matter of belief," Willow took a seat beside Buffy. "I was never a Christian, so the symbols of it don't bother me."  
  
Giles nodded thoughtfully, about to open his mouth to ask another question when he suddenly remembered why he was there. "Right," he reached up to push his glasses into place, "the Waters' Council is growing concerned over your interaction with our Slayer."  
  
"Our?" Willow gave him a dangerous glare as she growled out, "I do not recall Buffy ever being your property!"  
  
Giles winced under her glare, as well as seeing the displeased expressions on both Buffy and Faith's faces. "Oh, for a better choice of words," he sighed.  
  
"Way to go, G." Faith muttered to Giles. She turned to look at Willow and said, "Look, I have no problem with you being a vampire, I worked with Angel up in LA."  
  
"But?" Willow asked, knowing there was more coming.  
  
"You have one hell of a reputation," Faith said bluntly, "one of the worst vamps of a generation. The Council's got reason to be worried."  
  
"She's not like that any more," Buffy scowled.  
  
"That has yet to be determined," Giles said dryly.  
  
"And how do you plan to test her?" Tara spoke up, surprising them. She shot a glare at Giles, "The same trials the Council used on witches in times past?"  
  
Giles winced, "That was a different time, madam, long ago."  
  
"Not that long ago to me and my people," Tara crisply replied. She looked over with a frown at Willow, "I have absolutely no reason to like this vampire, but I'll fight tooth and nail to prevent you from taking her."  
  
"Me, too," Buffy agreed, all the while wondering what had gone on between Tara and Willow. 'Tara certainly doesn't like her much,' she mused.  
  
Faith had an odd smile on her face as she watched Willow, "Most vamps would have started a fight rather than be in the middle of this sort of discussion."  
  
"Tempting, but no," Willow answered her quietly as the debate raged on beside them. She looked at Faith, trying to read her as she asked, "Disappointed?"  
  
"A bit. I enjoy the Slaying, mostly," Faith shrugged.  
  
"I don't," Willow admitted, "the taking of a life, even one twisted by a demon's presence, is always something to regret."  
  
Faith nodded to herself thoughtfully, then she turned back to the three-way fight going on and loudly yelled, "HEY!"  
  
All three turned to look over at her in surprise. "I beg your pardon?" Giles asked.  
  
Faith nodded to Giles, "You don't trust that Willow's reformation is genuine." She looked over at Buffy, "And you don't trust the Watchers' Council to treat Willow fairly." She paused to ask the two of them, "Am I right?"  
  
Both Giles and Buffy nodded, while Tara glared suspiciously. Faith continued, "So let's try a compromise. I'll stick around here with Giles, keep an eye on you two. If Willow reverts, we'll be here to help, and Willow gets a chance to prove she's a good girl."  
  
Buffy was about to open up her mouth to argue when Willow put her hand on her partner's arm. "It's not a bad plan," she offered.  
  
"And I'll be keeping an eye on you two," Tara gave Giles a look that made him go bone pale, "if you try to pull anything underhanded, I'll have to take steps." With that, she strode off to serve the other customers.  
  
"She really doesn't like you," Buffy looked at Giles curiously, "why?"  
  
"What she mentioned was mostly accurate," Giles said, "in times past the Watchers' Council was overzealous in our pursuit of demons, and many followers of the craft paid the price."  
  
There was a long moment of silence, the group of four sitting there, finishing their drinks. "Do you want to stay?" Willow asked Buffy softly.  
  
"It's been a long day," Buffy shrugged, "to be honest, I'd rather head home."  
  
Willow met both Giles and Faith's eyes steadily, "Then I think we'll see you later." With that, both young women left the bar together.  
  
"They make a cute couple, don't they?" Faith mused once they were gone.  
  
Giles looked at her in shock, "You don't think they're...?"  
  
Faith wiggled her hand in the air, "I dunno. That's the vibe I get from them, though."  
  
"Oh dear," Giles groaned softly  
  
The city was quiet as Willow and Buffy walked together down the street. "I thought that you were going to lunge at Giles when he said that 'our' comment," Buffy laughed.  
  
Willow actually blushed a bit, "What can I say, he pissed me off."  
  
"He's a bit... inept, isn't he?" Buffy agreed.  
  
To be continued... 


	7. 6

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Slayer and Shadow Part Six  
  
The patrol they went out on the next day was.. interesting, to say the least. Willow, Buffy, Faith, and Giles all went out there together, which probably wasn't the best of plans. Faith was wary, Giles more than somewhat inexperienced, and the chemistry between Willow and Buffy generated an almost visible electricity in the air.  
  
"You two work together like a well oiled machine," Giles murmured as he saw Willow and Buffy handle a pair of vampires.  
  
Faith staked her own vampire before muttering, "I think that's the first time I've ever heard that saying applied to vampire slaying." She pushed her black hair back from her face, sweat making her shirt stick to her body.  
  
"Thanks," Buffy smiled wryly, her T-shirt and jeans a bit messy with dust.  
  
Willow stood slightly apart, her eyes closed as she tried to sense the presence of other vampires. Her long leather coat swirled around her, the leather corset and pants hugging her pale form. "No sign," she reported, "it looks like we're done here."  
  
Giles gave her a curious look, "I don't believe I've ever heard of younger vampires with extra-sensory abilities." He really looked like a librarian then, dressed in a scholarly suit in dark colors, his glasses gleaming when they caught the light.  
  
Willow walked over to Buffy's side, not taking her hand but just being near her. She smiled slightly, "I started being able to do it after I regained my soul, but I'm not sure why."  
  
"She should have been a wiccan," the quiet voice startled them all. Tara stalked out of the shadows, the slightly heavy brown haired woman looking focused and intense.  
  
Willow flinched, turning slightly aside from the woman's gaze. Buffy looked at her worriedly, then over at Tara who was glaring at the vampire. Faith smiled wryly, "Looks like you two have some history together."  
  
"We do," Willow didn't add anything else.  
  
An awkward silence stretched out until Giles cleared his throat uncomfortably. "As it seems that patrol has ended, we might consider turning in for the night." He made a face, "Some of us do have day jobs to consider."  
  
"Poor ol' Giles ," Faith gave him a little smirk. She looked over at Buffy and Willow and added, "He's probably right, though." With that, both of them walked away, Faith continuing to gently bug Giles as they went.  
  
The three remaining stood there a moment until Willow puffed out a breath, more from reflex than any real need. "Buffy?"  
  
"Yes?" Buffy looked over at her worriedly.  
  
"Would you mind meeting me at home later?" Willow asked. She looked over at Tara, then back at Buffy, "I have something to deal with."  
  
"You're going with her?" Buffy asked, frowning at Tara. "Can't say I'm thrilled with this. Can't I come along with you?" she asked.  
  
"No harm will come to the vampire," Tara said to Buffy crisply, "I give you my word."  
  
Buffy still looked stubborn, so Willow softly said to her, "I did some very bad things to the coven, Buffy. If they want me for something, I really can't refuse them."  
  
Buffy frowned, but finally nodded reluctantly when she saw the appeal in Willow's eyes. "All right," she conceded, "but promise you'll be careful." A pause, "I want you back, please."  
  
"I'll be careful," Willow agreed. She hesitated a moment, then leaned forward to gently press her lips to the startled Buffy's cheek. "See you later."  
  
Buffy watched her go, hand held to her cheek and eyes wide in surprise.  
  
They walked together for awhile in silence, the vampire and wiccan. "She really cares about you," Tara said quietly.  
  
"Yes, she does," Willow agreed. She looked over at the brown haired woman beside her, "I wish I could undo what I did."  
  
"That doesn't do my lover any good," Tara's voice was ice cold as she continued, "it won't bring my Amy back to me."  
  
"I know," Willow answered her softly. She chose her next words very carefully, "Before, I had no conscience, didn't care what I did. When the Master ordered me to attack your coven, I did it without a second thought."  
  
Tara gave Willow a odd look before saying, "If you're pleading your case, you're not doing a very good job of it."  
  
"But now, with my soul restored to me I have a conscience again," Willow said bleakly, "and the things I once did haunt me, Tara." Her voice dropped to a whisper, "Even if you killed me, it would not punish me more than my own soul does."  
  
At the edge of town they passed through the trees of the park, eventually emerging into a secluded clearing. A circle of figures stood, gathered around a fire, all with cloaks covering their faces except one. She was older, her eyes dark and intense, and a vivid scar ran down her cheek, disappearing beneath her cloak.  
  
"Jenny," Willow breathed out.  
  
Jenny Calendar hadn't changed all that much from when she was Willow's computer teacher, back when Sunnydale high was still running. And later on, when Willow had faced the coven Jenny had been there. Willow had charged them, catching her by surprise as she swiftly dug fangs in the woman's throat, tearing the flesh away.  
  
"It's been a long time," Jenny said quietly.  
  
Part of Willow wanted to run away, to flee and never come back here again. But the vampire drew on her will, stepping forward and meeting those eyes, "You called me here."  
  
"Tara?" Jenny looked over at her.  
  
"She has a soul," Tara confirmed softly, "that I'm certain of. How, I don't know."  
  
Willow blinked. Whatever she had been expecting, that wasn't it. "Is that why you called me out here?" she asked.  
  
"Such a great magic should have sent waves across the world," Jenny said gravely, "but none felt it happen. Unless you regained your soul spontaneously, it concerns us gravely."  
  
Willow smiled wryly, "It's a bit of a long story, and I'm not quite sure where to start."  
  
"Pick a place and call it the beginning if you must," Jenny smiled at her slightly, "and then continue on to the end."  
  
"For me," Willow said quietly, "it began when I disappeared from the Master's factory and appeared in another Sunnydale..."  
  
It took some time for Willow to try to explain all that she had seen and experienced there, meeting the other Willow and Tara there, their battle, and her eventual return home. Tactfully she also edited out what she had done to that world's version of Amy. From the look on Tara's face, she had more than enough to deal with.  
  
Tara's face was pale as she looked at Willow with a clearly ill expression, "You and I?"  
  
"Different circumstances," Willow said crisply, "different people." She looked over at Jenny. softening her tone, "I hope that helps."  
  
Jenny was still looking calm and serene, but it was a bit of a effort. She gestured, "Could you come over here?"  
  
Willow moved over in front of the wiccan, who reached out to gently lay her hands on the vampire's shoulders. Willow shivered as power shifted around her, "Hope this doesn't hurt."  
  
The power died down a moment later, and Jenny released her. "She speaks the truth," she said quietly, "I can feel the traces of power still on her." Her voice dropped to a whisper, "The other Willow must be touched by the goddess."  
  
Tara snorted. "I find it hard to believe that any incarnation of Willow could be touched by the goddess," she scowled.  
  
"You did not know Willow before she became a vampire," was the only answer Jenny gave. She pulled her cloak up, her face in shadow as she said to Willow, "You did grave harm to the coven, Willow. That debt will be called due someday." A pause, "Be ready."  
  
"I will," Willow answered softly before Tara led her away.  
  
To be continued... 


	8. 7

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Slayer and Shadow Part Seven  
  
Willow left Tara once they reached the town itself, letting the intense wiccan return to her usual post over at the Bronze. She knew that the woman was probably shaken by what she had heard that night, about the other world and her life there, not that Willow could really blame her. She still had a hard time accepting it all!  
  
Walking through the town of Sunnydale Willow kept her eyes open, the vampiress letting all her senses reach out into the darkness. The long leather coat swirled around her legs, her leather fetish wear clinging to her long slim body. The reddish brown hair swirled around her pale face, blown back by the slight breeze.  
  
'It's so quiet,' Willow thought, for just a moment wishing that there was some foolish vampire wandering out there in the night. She was tense, and part of her really wanted to hurt something. She reached the mansion that she and Buffy were using as their base of operations, entering almost silently through the front door.  
  
Buffy was pacing the living-room, her blonde hair tied back. She grinned and ran to Willow as soon as she saw her, "Are you all right? The wiccan's didn't hurt you, did they?"  
  
"Ah," Willow gasped softly as Buffy threw her arms around her. She felt a sudden lash of warmth, and realized exactly why she was feeling cranky. "I'm fine," she said softly as she gently pushed Buffy away. She smiled slightly, "I'm sorry to worry you."  
  
Buffy gave Willow a scolding look, "If you hadn't come back here soon, I would have had to go in there after you." Impatiently she asked, "So what did they want?"  
  
"To find out how I had regained my soul," Willow softly explained. Her expression was pained as she softly added, "I met an old friend there, one I tried to kill."  
  
Buffy blinked, trying to match those two odd statements together. "You didn't have your soul when you tried to kill your friend," she finally said softly, "it wasn't your fault."  
  
"True," Willow sighed softly. She had the oddest look on her face, "She wasn't even angry with me about it, just calm."  
  
Suddenly, in the silence Buffy's stomach gurgled.  
  
"You haven't eaten yet?" Willow chuckled softly. They walked towards the kitchen together, "Let's see what's in the fridge."  
  
"Sorry," Buffy blushed slightly. She smiled impishly at Willow, "I was going to hit a fast food joint, but I didn't want you lecturing me again."  
  
Willow chuckled to herself softly, "And you don't cook, do you?" She put some hamburgers on, slicing up a bit of tomatoes and onions as she softly murmured, "Maybe you should get a wife to help take care of you."  
  
"I thought I already had," Buffy gave Willow a little smile.  
  
A slight blush appeared on Willow's cheeks. She flipped the burgers, feeling a pang of hunger stirring within her, but not a hunger for blood. "Don't tease, please," Willow murmured, "you never know what might happen."  
  
"Oh really?" Buffy's eyes twinkled with amusement. She leaned on the counter by Willow, her T-shirt pulling tightly across her firm breasts. "I don't think I'd be all that bothered by whatever happened ," she softly murmured.  
  
Willow gave her a gently scolding look, but she kept her mouth firmly shut. Buffy pouted cutely, and in a few moments Willow dished up the burgers for her. As Buffy ate her meal Willow took out a blood packet out of the metal case in the bottom of the fridge, pouring it into a mug then putting it in the microwave.  
  
"You should be more careful," Willow finally said, keeping her eyes focused on the microwave, "my self control isn't always as good as I'd like."  
  
Buffy polished off one of her hamburgers, then she picked up the other. "You don't need to control yourself so much, Willow," she said to her gently.  
  
"You don't know what you're asking," Willow quietly murmured, taking the mug out of the microwave oven and stirring it a bit. Her face flickered, becoming more vampiric as she drank the mug of blood down in one pull.  
  
"Yes, I do," Buffy put the burger down on her plate. She got up from her seat, gently putting her hand on Willow's arm, "You wanted to give me some time, and I appreciate that. But I think I know what I want, Willow."  
  
"You..." Willow started.  
  
Buffy leaned forward, kissing Willow gently on the lips. There was a slight taste of blood there, but the slim blonde continued on, her tongue seeking in that warm mouth. Willow stood there stiffly for a moment, then she gently wrapped her arms around Buffy's body.  
  
"I shouldn't," Willow murmured softly, but anything else that she was going to say was cut off by another fierce kiss.  
  
"You should," was Buffy's quiet answer.  
  
Willow shuddered, feeling Buffy's hands cupping her shoulders, stroking along the base of her throat then down the front of her leather dress. "Oh goddess," she murmured softly, a breathy moan escaping as fingers found her breasts.  
  
"Your skin is so cool," Buffy whispered her discovery, her hands still seeking gently. She bent forward, pressing her lips to the cool skin that was exposed at the throat as she continued to tease surprisingly pointy nipples.  
  
"I'm.. always just a bit cooler than a normal person," Willow managed to answer breathlessly. Her legs were getting so weak, she leaned up against the kitchen counter for support.  
  
Buffy drew back a bit, letting her fingers stop their play. She gently cupped Willow's sides as she softly murmured, "This would be a lot more fun in the bedroom." Buffy smiled slightly, "Unless you really don't want me to continue?"  
  
Willow smiled shyly, "I don't want to stop."  
  
The two young women walked back through the halls towards Willow's bedroom together, holding each other's hand. The vampiress cast her long leather coat aside, revealing even more of her pale shoulders, those long, long legs encased in the skintight leather pants. Buffy flipped the light switch, but oddly the lights in the room didn't turn on. Willow struck a match, and lit a few candles that were placed around the room, giving it a soft romantic glow.  
  
"It's beautiful," Buffy murmured, looking at the large bed in the middle of the room, the walls hung with woven tapestries collected from around the mansion.  
  
"Thank you," Willow began to unlace the top of her leather dress. In a few seconds leather cords hung free, and she smiled at Buffy gently, "Would you care to do the honors?"  
  
"I'd love to," Buffy stepped up, placing her hands on the two pieces that made up the leather top. Gently she pulled them apart, the laces pulling from the holes, until the sections dropped to the floor revealing creamy pale skin.  
  
"You're a bit overdressed," the now topless Willow moved a bit nearer to Buffy. She took the bottom of the Slayer's T-shirt in her hands, tugging it upwards and over her head. Restrained in a simple white bra the woman's breasts strained to be free. Willow reached around, finding the hooks and releasing them into the air.  
  
"Ooh," Buffy shuddered as cool skin pressed against her, then moaned softly as fingers teased at the already sensitive breasts.  
  
"Turnabout is fair play," Willow murmured softly in her ear.  
  
Willow slid her cool hands down Buffy's sides, coming to a stop at the button of the woman's jeans. Buffy nodded slightly, and Willow unbuttoned and zipped the pants, quickly discovering two things: Buffy was indeed a natural blonde, and she wasn't wearing any underwear.  
  
"I took them off when I came home," Buffy's voice had a throaty quality to it, "I wanted to be ready when you got here."  
  
Willow leaned forward from where she knelt in front of Buffy and pressed a single chaste kiss to that blonde mound. She rose like a cat, gently bringing Buffy's hands to her own waist, "Help me get these off." It took some wiggling to get the leather pants off her, but in moments they fell to the floor beside Buffy's jeans.  
  
"I love you," Buffy murmured as she drew Willow down onto the bed.  
  
"And I, you," Willow kissed her, savoring the moment.  
  
To be continued... 


	9. 8

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Slayer and Shadow Part Eight  
  
Faith sighed to herself softly as she went into the Bronze alone. Black hair fell around her face, the simple clothing she wore allowing maximum freedom of movement. She scanned the crowd for any signs of vampires, feeling a bit of relief as she saw the place was clean.  
  
"What can I get you?" Tara asked as Faith reached the bar. The slightly heavy brown haired young woman didn't even turn away from the glasses she was cleaning, somehow knowing that Faith was sitting there.  
  
"Rum and coke," Faith ordered her regular. The drink was poured smoothly and as it was set down Faith asked, "How did you know I was there?"  
  
Tara smiled slightly, her expression kept carefully neutral. "You have a distinctive scent around you," she explained.  
  
Faith took a small drink, pausing to listen to the sound of the ice cubes clinking together. "That's the nicest way I've ever heard someone say I stink," she noted.  
  
Tara's laugh was soft, her voice honestly amused as she said, "Not stink, slayer. There's a delicate scent around you, of carved wood and holy water, along with that perfume you wear." A pause, "It's a pleasant combination."  
  
Faith gave her a wary look, but decided not to argue that. She set her glass down delicately, "You took Willow off, earlier tonight. Can you tell me what happened?"  
  
Tara gave Faith a measuring look. "We confirmed that Willow indeed has a soul," the wiccan said simply, "but other than that, I'd rather not say."  
  
"I didn't see her or Buffy out again tonight," Faith mused, picking her glass up again. "I wonder what happened once she got home?" she asked.  
  
"Not for me to say," Tara answered, her voice hard.  
  
Faith looked at her thoughtfully, then nodded slightly, "Sorry." She didn't know what had angered Tara, but something had. Faith finished off her drink before asking for a refill. "This place good for singles?"  
  
"Not bad," Tara poured the run first, then added two cubes of ice before topping it up with coke. "Are you looking?"  
  
"Something like that," Faith quietly agreed. She picked up her glass, taking a little drink before smiling slightly, "Thanks." She laid a bill down on the counter and slipped away into the crowd, not waiting for any change.  
  
Tara tilted her head to the side, watching the dark haired woman stride away. 'I wonder why I complimented her like that?' she mused, taking a towel and wiping off the counter. There was something about this Faith, a feral beauty that she carried so well.  
  
The house band was only mildly good, the covers handled well, but the originals were a bit iffy. Tara found herself wishing that Oz and the Diego's were still around, but the intense young man had left town with his werewolf girlfriend after the Master had been slain.  
  
There was a soft shriek, and Tara spun around to scan the crowd. She puffed out an irritated breath, "Clem!" The dogfaced demon looked over at her sheepishly and Tara continued, "What have I told you about scaring the customers?"  
  
"Sorry, Tara," Clem said, looking down in embarrassment.  
  
Tara sighed, he was such a loser that it was hard to stay angry at him for any length of time. "Drink your drink and try to stay out of trouble, would you?" she asked as she poured him his usual glass of whisky neat.  
  
"Thanks," Clem reached to take the drink, but Tara stopped him.  
  
"No tab," she firmly reminded him. Clem produced the money and Tara checked it over, "Thank you very much, I know your reputation."  
  
Tara watched him go, shaking her head. Clem had been booted from the non-human bars for not paying his tab, as well as outstanding gambling debts. Personally, Tara didn't really care about him being a demon, but he was not going to run up a tab on her watch.  
  
"Hi," the voice said from nowhere.  
  
Tara looked up and smiled, "Hey, invisible girl." She poured a glass of scotch even as she asked thin air, "You ever going to tell me your name?"  
  
"I'm not sure I even remember anymore," the voice said as small bills were placed on the counter. The glass was picked up, it hung there in midair, then disappeared.  
  
"And I'm not even going to ask where you got the money from, either," Tara said firmly. She wiped up a spill, "Have you considered my offer?"  
  
"You really think the circle can help me?" the voice sounded wistful.  
  
"They've dealt with a lot of strange stuff," Tara noted, "from Moloch the corrupter on up. If anyone can help, they will."  
  
"I'll think about it," and the presence that Tara felt faded as the girl walked away.  
  
Tara fought back a sigh. Somehow, some combination of things had rendered the young woman invisible to everyone. The only reason Tara knew about her was because of her skills as a witch, her practice with seeing the unseen. She was oddly like a stray cat, skittish and nervous, and Tara had used patience and kindness to draw her out.  
  
"Interesting place you got here," Faith noted, the taller woman navigating her way back to her seat. She looked curious, "What's this I hear about this place once being a coffee bar?"  
  
"Once upon a time," Tara agreed, "back before the Master took over, anyway. It closed up after awhile, and I acquired it more recently."  
  
Faith nodded to a corner, where a woman oddly dressed in a labcoat sat. Her brown hair was sprinkled with gray, and she had a bottle of red wine beside her, ready to refill her glass. "What's her story?" she asked.  
  
Tara hesitated, "I don't know her name, we all just call her the Professor. She was involved in a government project out near Sunnydale called the Initiative."  
  
"And?" Faith asked, instantly sensing there was more to the story than that.  
  
"The Initiative was intended to train soldiers to fight demons and other monsters," Tara said grimly, "but they got tangled up with the Master's forces. He nearly destroyed the Initiative, and the feds cut funding because they thought it was useless."  
  
"Poor lady," Faith said a bit more sympathetically.  
  
"Don't feel too sorry for her," Tara said cynically, "she was apparently building her very own Frankenstein's monster in the basement using selected demon parts."  
  
"Well, ewww!" Faith murmured. Tara had poured her another glass when she wasn't looking and Faith took another drink. "This isn't a demon bar," Faith said, "but you've got quite the mixed bag of customers."  
  
"I don't hide the fact that I'm a wiccan," Tara said mildly, "so I think the more borderline customers don't mind coming in."  
  
"That fits," Faith agreed, "but do you think you'll loose customers now that the Master is gone and things are going back to normal?"  
  
Tara surprised her with a laugh, "How do you define normal? The city is still vampire and monster infested and it doesn't seem to be changing." A bit more seriously she continued, "Sunnydale was built on a Hellmouth, one of the few in the world. It's a magnet for supernatural trouble."  
  
"Giles gave me that lecture," Faith said with a slight smile, "he was nearly giddy about the variety of things that turn up here."  
  
"Watchers," Tara rolled her eyes.  
  
"If it is so dangerous around here," Faith looked at her thoughtfully, "why are you here? I'd think most people with common sense would be gone by now."  
  
"Someone other than the Watchers and Slayers need to be here to keep an eye on things," Tara said simply, "someone with a different point of view."  
  
"Fair enough," Faith got up, stretching. "I'll see you tomorrow, maybe," she said as she walked with feline grace to the exit.  
  
"I thought you said you were looking for someone?" Tara asked.  
  
Faith paused. She looked back over her shoulder and smiled, "And I found the one I want, I think. Maybe tomorrow night." And with that odd statement she was out the door and gone.  
  
To be continued... 


	10. 9

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Slayer and Shadow Part Nine  
  
Rupert Giles sighed to himself softly, pushing his glasses up. The British librarian and Watcher knew where Faith was, roughly, but it didn't help ease his concern much. Even places like the Bronze that were arguably safe from the supernatural could still be trouble.  
  
"Especially for someone like Faith," Giles muttered to himself softly.  
  
"You shouldn't be such a worry wart," the amused female voice said softly.  
  
Giles jerked up from where he sat behind his desk, whirling around to see who had slipped into his sanctum. The older woman smiled at him gently, her eyes dark and intense, and a vivid scar ran down her cheek, disappearing beneath her loose shirt. A heavy black jacket kept her warm, the hands casually tucked away into the pockets.  
  
"Jenny," Giles sighed out softly in honest relief. He reached up to adjust his glasses, "Please don't startle me like that, please."  
  
Jenny Calendar tilted her head to the side, giving him a slight smile. "You really need to relax, you know," she said.  
  
"You know the state of this town," Giles shook his head firmly, "it's not a place for relaxing." His eyes tended towards the scar, then away.  
  
Jenny walked over to where he stood by his desk and sat herself on the side. She crossed her arms and looked up at him, "If you don't embrace what happiness you can..."  
  
"How can you say that?" Giles looked at her in surprise. "With everything that happened to you I would think you'd be more cautious," he scolded.  
  
"No," Jenny said, shaking her head firmly. Her eyes were shining as she continued, "If anything, it taught me to seize each moment I could."  
  
Giles took off his glasses, rubbing at his eyes tiredly. "I suppose you're right," he finally conceded, "but I think I've fought a little to long to be so casual."  
  
Jenny reached up, stroking her hand along an unshaven cheek as she softly said, "It's not that hard, Rupert."  
  
Giles blushed fiercely, looking away. Gruffly he asked, "I don't suppose you've seen or heard from the Slayer Faith?"  
  
Jenny sighed softly as she moved away from him a little. "Tara tells me she was over at the Bronze," she said.  
  
"Probably went out to do some slaying," Giles sighed to himself. "I wish she wouldn't patrol on her own like this."  
  
"She's the Slayer," Jenny pointed out to him gently, "for all we know there's some ancient instinct working here."  
  
Giles blinked in surprise, "You think so?"  
  
The doors to the library swung open with a thump before Jenny could answer that question and Faith strode in. Her clothes were ragged but a wild smile was on her face as she carried a truly ugly decapitated head inside on her shoulder.  
  
"Hey G.," Faith grinned at him, cheerfully thumping the thing down on the study table, "what is this thing, anyway?"  
  
Giles peered at it, taking in the massive curved horns and beady eyes. "A Shuggoth demon, I believe," he noted.  
  
Faith noticed the woman and laughed, "Looks like you've got some company. You want me to take my trophy and scram for awhile?"  
  
Jenny smiled slightly, "We're just old friends."  
  
"Too bad," Faith noted, "Giles could use a babe like you loosening him up."  
  
"Faith!" Giles growled.  
  
Jenny chuckled softly, giving Giles a smile. "The young can be wise too," she said, "be seeing you, Rupert." With that she walked to the library doors and was gone.  
  
"She's got it bad for you, G.," Faith said with a grin.  
  
"Jenny Calendar is a professional associate," Giles said with a great deal of wounded dignity, "there is nothing between us."  
  
"Too bad," Faith repeated. She walked towards the doors, "I'm gonna go home and clean up, I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
"Ah yes, right," Giles said weakly. A few moments after Faith was gone he registered that the demon head was still sitting on his table. "What am I supposed to do with this?" he groaned.  
  
The sun rose with the dawn, climbed across the cloudy sky, then settled to rest behind the hills of Sunnydale. The room was still dark as Buffy entered, carefully walking over to sit down on the side of the bed.  
  
"Good evening," Buffy reached over to shift the reddish brown hair from Willow's face.  
  
"Hello love," Willow smiled as she blinked sleepily. She sat up, the blankets falling away from her nude body as she stretched.  
  
Buffy gulped, taking in the view. "You look wonderful," she said softly.  
  
Willow reached out to stroke Buffy's cheek, "As do you." She bent forward and kissed her gently, lingering a moment...  
  
...before Buffy's stomach rumbled. "Sorry," Buffy blushed.  
  
"I know how you feel," Willow chuckled as she slipped out from the bed, looking around for her clothes with her excellent night vision, "I haven't eaten yet, either."  
  
Dressed, both women headed out to the kitchen to scavenge for food for Buffy and to heat up a blood packet for Willow. Buffy munched her sandwiches happily as Willow spooned her warmed blood, gazing at each other quite adoringly.  
  
Buffy took another bite, "So where are we supposed to meet Faith and the others for this evening's slaying?"  
  
"Over at the Bronze," Willow said, delicately taking a spoonful of blood, "it's more or less neutral territory."  
  
"I certainly don't trust having Giles here," Buffy noted with a scowl, "he'd probably try to stake you in the sleep."  
  
Willow looked thoughtful, "You know, I don't think so. Last night when we were out he almost treated me like a human being."  
  
"Let's hope we can teach an old dog new tricks," Buffy chuckled.  
  
The two finished up their food then loaded up. Willow hid several stakes beneath her long leather coat even as Buffy slipped then into her own jacket pockets. Holy Water, a cross around Buffy's neck and they were ready to go.  
  
"Silver looks good on you," Willow reached out to gently touch the cross nestled between Buffy's breasts, laying over her T-shirt, "I should get you matching earrings or something."  
  
"The cross doesn't bother you at all, does it?" Buffy shook her head slightly. "Does it's power really depend on belief?"  
  
"I'm not sure," Willow admitted. She tilted her head to the side, "If I didn't have a soul, I wonder if the demon within me would be hurt?"  
  
Buffy took her hand, "I don't think I want to find out."  
  
There was a amused conversation going on as they approached the Bronze. "Next time you bring a trophy home," Giles was saying, "could you please stick around to help dispose of it?"  
  
"You're not going to let that go, are you?" Faith said with a groan.  
  
Tara chuckled softly, but didn't say anything.  
  
"Here we go again," Buffy said, a slight smile tugging at her lips.  
  
Willow shook her head, "This is an interesting group."  
  
To be continued... 


	11. 10

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Slayer and Shadow Part Ten  
  
The car bumped and rattled as it came over the hill, racing down until it slammed right into the base of the bold 'Welcome to Sunnydale' sign, breaking one of the posts but thankfully leaving it still standing. The battered Ford opened up it's driver's side door, a figure quickly emerging to survey the damage thoughtfully.  
  
The brown haired young woman sighed as she looked at the damage over worriedly. "Gee, I hope I don't have to pay for that," Dawn Summers muttered. With that she climbed back into the car, backed up and pulled away from the sign.  
  
Thump! Without the support of the car's front fender the sign toppled over, falling forward with a loud crash. "Damn," Dawn sighed.  
  
The town was oddly quiet even for night time, the streets deserted of people. 'I knew I should have stayed at that hotel until morning,' Dawn thought, keeping a wary eye out.  
  
Figures broke from an darkened alley, a man running frantically from a dark haired woman. Dawn slammed on the brakes as quickly as she could, but he still bounced off her hood, face pressing against her windshield. He looked into the car and snarled, his face animalistic as his teeth gleamed. The dark haired woman yanked him backwards, flipped him over and then drove what looked like a wooden stake into his chest, dusting him.  
  
"Oh god oh God OH God..." Dawn stammered, her knuckles white on the steering wheel.  
  
The dark haired woman went around to the half open driver's side window, looking down at her with an amused sort of compassion, "You all right, kid?"  
  
"That.. that was... a vampire," Dawn squeaked.  
  
"Must be new in town," Faith muttered to herself. She tilted her head to the side to ask, "You know anybody here?"  
  
"I'm looking for my big sister," Dawn's face was getting some color back as she continued a bit more steadily, "Buffy."  
  
"Summers?" Faith blinked. She smiled down at the girl thoughtfully, "I'm a friend of hers, sort of." She offered the girl her hand, "Faith."  
  
"Neat name," Dawn shook it, "I'm Dawn."  
  
"You want a guide?" Faith offered casually.  
  
Dawn hesitated, looking up at Faith thoughtfully. Tight blue jeans, T- shirt, that stake casually tucked into a pocket, she looked like trouble. Still... "Please," Dawn smiled.  
  
Faith went around to the passenger side, climbing in beside the young woman. "Do you know where she is?" she asked.  
  
"Got a letter postmarked Sunnydale," Dawn pulled it from her pocket, nearly swerving off the road again as she passed it to Faith.  
  
"Eyes on the road," Faith barked. She looked at Dawn with a frown, "How long have you been driving, anyway?"  
  
"I got my learner's license a few weeks ago," the car's engine groaned loudly as Dawn inexpertly shifted gears.  
  
"Should have known," Faith muttered as she gave the girl directions to where Buffy was living. "Did Buffy say anything about her life lately?" she asked curiously.  
  
"Not really," Dawn shook her head, "why?"  
  
Faith kept her mouth shut as the car went out past the edge of town, eventually pulling in front of the mansion. It had once been abandoned, but more recently it had begun to be restored, cleaned up to make it more livable.  
  
"Wow," Dawn looked at the building in surprise. She hesitated, sitting there behind the wheel, then looked over at Faith pleadingly, "Would you mind...?"  
  
"I'll come up to the door with you," Faith offered. She smiled to herself as they walked forward and thought, 'Guess I've always had a thing about lost kittens.'  
  
Dawn looked around for a door bell, finally taking the door knocker and thumping it down twice against the door. The brown haired young woman fidgeted there nervously, then the front door opened up and Dawn blinked in surprise.  
  
Willow's red hair was messy, a robe pulled around her roughly. The pale young woman blinked at Dawn, then looked up at Faith, "Friend of yours?"  
  
"Dawn Summers," Faith gestured with a slight smile, "meet Willow Rosenberg."  
  
"Summers?" Willow blurted. "I'll go get Buffy," she quickly turned, the robe swirling to indicate she probably wasn't wearing anything underneath.  
  
Dawn had the oddest look on her face as she watched Willow go. She looked up at Faith who was whistling innocently and hopefully asked, "She's Buffy's roommate?"  
  
Faith chuckled softly, "You'd have to ask Buffy, I think."  
  
"Big help you are," Dawn muttered back. They saw Willow disappear into a bedroom and a few moments both Dawn and Buffy emerged in matching robes, Buffy blushing furiously as she tied the belt around her waist. "Yes, we interrupted something," Dawn sighed.  
  
Faith snickered softly.  
  
Buffy rushed to the door, "Dawnie!" She hugged the smaller girl a moment, then the blonde pushed back a bit to ask, "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Sorry," Dawn smiled up at her sister tentatively as she explained, "got into a bit of a fight with Dad, and I kinda took off...."  
  
"Dad'll be having kittens," Buffy sighed.  
  
Willow had a odd little smile on her face, one that was echoed on Faith's face. "Why don't you two come inside?" Willow offered.  
  
"Thanks," Faith grinned as the four went into the livingroom.  
  
The place was fairly clean, the couch a bit battered but serviceable, the kitchen just beyond nearly spotless. Faith flopped down casually, watching with some amusement Buffy's reaction to Dawn's presence and Dawn's wary looks towards Willow.  
  
"I'll get some refreshments," Willow said as she moved smoothly into the kitchen.  
  
"Buffy," Dawn hissed, "are you and she...?"  
  
The blush flared to life again as Buffy looked down nervously. A steadying breath, "Yes, Willow and I are lovers."  
  
"That is so cool," Dawn squealed happily. She leaned forward eagerly to ask, "Is it better than sex with boys?"  
  
"It is for me," Buffy blinked.  
  
Willow brought a tray of cups in, the oddest look on her face. "Coffee for Buffy and Faith," she passed those cups, "soda for Dawn," she passed the girl a glass, "and my regular."  
  
"Is that tomato juice?" Dawn looked at the red fluid curiously.  
  
"Not exactly," Willow took a drink, keeping her cup separate.  
  
"Sorry for surprising you," Faith said, though the dark haired slayer didn't look too repentant. In fact, she still looked pretty amused.  
  
Buffy gave her a look, but didn't comment on it. "I'll call Dad later," she sighed as she drank her coffee, "let him know where you are."  
  
Dawn looked nervously at Buffy and Willow before asking, "Do you think that I could stay with you for awhile?"  
  
"Somehow I doubt your father would approve," Willow said diplomatically.  
  
"Dad's too busy with his new girlfriend," Dawn sighed, drinking some of her pop, "I doubt he's even notice I was gone."  
  
Buffy winced visibly. Faith drank some coffee, smiling slightly as she added, "There is something else you should tell her, maybe?"  
  
"Huh?" Dawn looked at Willow and Buffy in confusion.  
  
Willow took a drink, letting her face shift to vampire mode as she swallowed more blood. She shifted back to normal, looking up to see a visibly pale Dawn looking at her in shock.  
  
"Willow doesn't hurt anyone," Buffy quickly said, "she's been cursed with her human soul."  
  
"You okay?" Faith asked the stunned Dawn.  
  
That is SO neat," Dawn bounced up and down in her seat excitedly as the other three women all sweatdropped.  
  
To be continued... 


	12. 11

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Slayer and Shadow Part Eleven  
  
The Bronze was busy tonight, filled with a mix of the normal and abnormal in Sunnydale. Oz and the Dingo's played up on the stage, the young man singing with that wistful sadness he was so good at, the Professor drank her bottle of wine at her table, dreaming of the perfect super- soldier, and a dozen other types were mixing with the mob.  
  
Tara wiped the top of the bar off with a rag as the brown haired bartender looked up in surprise at Faith and asked, "Buffy has a little sister?"  
  
Faith chuckled softly. "Dawn's a nice enough kid," she nodded, "I left the three of them there to get better acquainted and went to check in with Giles. The G-man's not happy about it, but there's not much he can do."  
  
The tight t-shirt Faith wore hugged her breasts distractingly and Tara looked away nervously. Combined with the leather pants and the dark haired woman looked like somebody's dangerous wet-dream. 'Wonder who she's hunting tonight?' Tara wondered.  
  
"So what do you think of the kid being here?" Faith asked, leaning forward to reveal some more of her breasts.  
  
Tara looked away, a blush creeping up on her face. "I don't like it," she said crisply, turning to sort the bottles and regain some of her composure, "having an ordinary girl living in the same house with a vampire slayer is just asking for trouble."  
  
"Oh come on," Faith scoffed, "it's not that bad. As long as the kid sticks with daylight and doesn't invite a vampire inside the house...."  
  
"You know that isn't as easy as it sounds," Tara scowled.  
  
Faith looked at Tara thoughtfully a moment. "What you're really unhappy about," she finally said, "is having her in that house with Willow, am I right?"  
  
"I don't trust her," Tara admitted, "soul or no soul. However, the leader of our coven has spoken, and I have to abide by it."  
  
"That has to suck," Faith said. She gestured and Tara quickly produced a bottle of beer for the Slayer. "Thanks," she took a drink from the bottle with a smile.  
  
"It goes on your tab," Tara said dryly and Faith snickered. A bit more seriously she said, "Thanks for coming around so much lately. I noticed we have less fights when you're here and..." she hesitated, "it's nice to have the company."  
  
Faith actually blushed a bit, "Thanks." She was about to say something else when her pager went off, nearly making her jump. "Damn," she cursed, checking the number.  
  
"Trouble?" Tara asked.  
  
Fath clipped it back onto her belt as she sighed, "G-man, of course. Gotta go." And with that Faith strode away from the bar, running through a litany of cursewords in her mind. 'G, you're timing really sucks,' she thought.  
  
The library was still open, night courses that were held at Sunnydale High keeping it open long into the night. One would think that the vampire problem the city had would cause the city to cut back on nighttime activities, but the authorities continued to ignore the strange occurences. It was as if they thought keeping their eyes firmly shut would make the bad stuff go away.  
  
"Ah, Faith," Giles looked up from the book he was reading, peering over his spectacles as he said, "just in time."  
  
"You paged me?" Faith asked impatiently.  
  
"We need to talk about the council's decision regarding your remaining here," Giles said with a slight smile.  
  
Faith frowned, wondering at the odd tone of his voice. "So what have the old coots in England decided?" she asked warily.  
  
Giles suddenly smiled, "They've agreed to extend your tenure here for the foreseeable future...."  
  
"All right!" Faith cheered.  
  
"... baring any unforeseen complications," Giles finished.  
  
"Like...?" Faith asked.  
  
"Some event requiring a Slayer's intervention," Giles said. He smiled a bit at Faith's fierce look, "The Council wants to keep you available if needed, but at least they're willing to let you stay."  
  
Faith walked over to one of the chairs, flopping down casually. "Well, thanks for that," she said. Softly she added, "It's pretty hard dating when you know you're leaving town in a few days...."  
  
Giles looked a little startled at that. "Is there someone you're involved with?" he asked her tentatively.  
  
"Someone I'm interested in, anyway," Faith said with a smile. She puffed out a sigh, "Too bad she doesn't know about it yet."  
  
"She...?" Giles blinked. He shook his head, "I'm beginning to wonder if there's something about being a Slayer."  
  
That made Faith sit up again, "There's been other Slayers who were..."  
  
"More often than not, yes...." Giles agreed. He looked thoughtful, "There have been various attempts to determine what might be the cause, of course."  
  
"How did they go about that?" Faith asked, tipping her head to the side.  
  
"They organized," Giles said with a dry humor, "a committee to study the various Watchers' diaries to find any clues."  
  
"Heaven forbid they actually ask a slayer," Faith snorted. "What did they decide?" she asked curiously, an amused little smile on her face.  
  
"They theorized that it might be a quality carried over from the mythic First Slayer," Giles said with a shrug."  
  
"In other words they couldn't actually find an answer," Faith shook her head with tired amusement, "so they just blamed her for it."  
  
"What do you think?" Giles surprised her by asking. At her startled look he added, "You did say to ask a Slayer."  
  
"Well," Faith hesitated a moment, then said, "I think it has as much to do with the danger our lives as Slayers have. We seek something softer, more gentle in our relationshipos. Some Slayers find men like that, but most of the time...."  
  
"A woman provides that gentleness," Giles said thoughtfully. He smiled wryly, "I don't know if I'd pass that on to the council."  
  
"Guess they wouldn't want to know about lesbian tendencies in their Slayers," Faith agreed. She got up, stretching out slightly, "So are you and Miss Calendar knocking boots?"  
  
"What?" Giles blinked.  
  
"The horizontal bop?" Faith suggested, "Doing the nasty?"  
  
Giles face went an interesting shade of vivid pink, almost rose. "No we are not," he protested, "we're just good friends."  
  
Faith nearly fell out of her chair, she was laughing so hard. "You haven't been paying attention to the way she looks at you?" she asked. A wicked smile, "Or how you act around her?"  
  
"I can't believe we're having this conversation," Giles shook his head.  
  
"You dish it out but you can't take it," Faith smirked.  
  
Giles ran his hand through his hair, "Jenny and I have known each other a long time. We were both teaching here shortly before the Master rose, but that event seperated us."  
  
"Sorry," Faith said quietly.  
  
"Both of us were working against the Master, her with the coven and I with the vampire slayers I organized," Giles said. His eyes were haunted, "When Willow attacked the coven they brought the injured Jenny to me and we barely saved her."  
  
"From what I saw she likes you," Faith said softly. She got up out of her chair, stretching a bit before adding, "We only get so many chances at this sort of thing." She smiled wryly, "And if you miss the chance, it may never come around again."  
  
Giles watched her leave the library silently, but his thoughts were racing. He reached out to his desk lamp, turning it on to brighten the dim room. Swiftly he reached out, picking up the phone and dialing quickly.  
  
"Jenny," Giles smiled, "how are you tonight?"  
  
To be continued... 


	13. 12

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Slayer and Shadow Part Twelve  
  
The creatures came out of the darkness as a group, moving forward in two bands to try and capture the vampire slayers in between them. "Do you think they intended to set a trap," Giles murmured, the brown haired Englishman pushing his glasses up, "or was it a coincidence?"  
  
"Doesn't matter," Faith flashed a smile, the black haired Slayer ready to go..  
  
"No, it doesn't," Buffy agreed, a dangerous sort of eagerness coming over the smaller blonde, "it won't save them."  
  
Willow kept eerily silent as she moved gracefully, almost inhumanly fast as she easily dodged the vampire's first blow, striking upwards in a smooth motion to rock him backwards. The stake was in her hand as the reddish brown haired vampire struck, a fine cloud of ashes blowing around her as he was reduced to dust.  
  
"Fancy," Faith muttered, quickly staking another of the vamps after hammering it down into the ground with a loud thump.  
  
There was a flash of light and flames suddenly exploded to life around a vampire that had nearly reached the startled Giles. Tara gestured, the flames disappearing as fast as she called them up as she coldly said, "Watch yourself, Mr. Giles."  
  
"Ah, thank you," Giles stammered.  
  
"You two get along," Buffy chided them with a amused smile as she kicked the final vamp against the wall, stepping in to stake it with remarkable ease.  
  
"Looks like a good night's haul," Willow noted, the vampiress stepping up beside her lover. She smiled at Buffy, "You all right?"  
  
"Just fine," Buffy smiled black, her blonde hair falling into her eyes.  
  
"That was so cool," Dawn gushed, the brown haired younger girl emerging from the shadows where she had been hidden.  
  
"Tara, G-man," Faith smiled wryly at the two, "I don't think you've met Buffy's younger sister, Dawn Summers."  
  
"Hello," Giles said stiffly, then he looked over at the three women, "Who's bright idea was it to bring her on patrol?"  
  
Tara looked at Dawn thoughtfully before saying, "You have to admit it's not a good idea to leave her alone all night."  
  
"Well, yes," Giles grit his teeth, "but still...."  
  
"It's nice to meet you Tara," Dawn smiled up at Tara winningly with the unerring ability of any young woman had to find a possible ally.  
  
Tara smiled wryly, the brown haired woman chuckling softly. "You too, Dawn," she agreed, shaking the girl's hand.  
  
"G. looks like he's going to have kittens," Faith muttered to Buffy and Willow, the three young women watching with amusement.  
  
"That kind of stress can't be good for him," Buffy said with an impish smile.  
  
"You too are terrible, you know that?" Willow fought back a smile.  
  
Giles had to smile slightly, shaking his head at the girls' behavior. "All right," he said, "but the child's welfare is important, you know."  
  
"I'm not a child," Dawn frowned, "I'm nearly fourteen."  
  
"I strand corrected," Giles murmured.  
  
Faith looked over at Dawn thoughtfully for a moment, then she suddenly kicked out at the smaller girl. Drawing on self-defense courses from her school Dawn blocked the strike instinctively, though with a soft gasp of effort.  
  
"What was that for?!" Buffy blurted.  
  
"Kid's got potential," Faith shrugged, "she may not be a slayer but we can get her trained well enough to take care of herself."  
  
"So who's going to train me?" Dawn blinked, absorbing this.  
  
"B. and I," Faith shrugged, "ably assisted by the G-man and Willow, I figure."  
  
"You mind?" Buffy asked Dawn thoughtfully.  
  
"As long as you two aren't too tough on me," Dawn managed a weak smile.  
  
They resumed their patrol, Dawn and Giles standing safely in the center of the formation. Willow studied Faith thoughtfully, taking a moment to quietly ask her, "Why did you decide to include me in these training sessions?"  
  
Faith tossed her a slight smile, "I wouldn't want my girlfriend spending time with another lady, even with Giles and Dawn chaperoning."  
  
By the look on her face Willow hadn't been expecting that answer, and Faith chuckled softly. "Thanks," Willow said with a wry smile, moving over towards Buffy again. At Buffy's questioning glance she said, "I have to remember not to underestimate her."  
  
"We Slayers are full of surprises," Buffy smirked as she murmured, "do you remember when I turned the tables on you the other night?"  
  
"Buffy!" Willow scolded, Dawn listening eagerly.  
  
"You two are really in love," Dawn murmured. She smiled, a bit of a blush appearing on her cheeks as she added, "You might want to keep it down, though."  
  
It took Buffy and Willow a moment to get what Dawn was saying, then both of their cheeks went different shades of rose. "And what were you doing listening in, little sis?" Buffy finally managed to get out past her embarrassment.  
  
"I wasn't doing it intentionally," Dawn said with wounded dignity, "the amount of noise you were making could have waked the dead."  
  
Not far away Tara studied Dawn thoughtfully, the oddest look on the woman's face. "Is there something amiss?" Giles ventured tentatively.  
  
"No," Tara gave him a withering look, "at least, I don't think so."  
  
"Ah, right," Giles backed away quickly.  
  
Faith smiled wryly, moving over to be nearer to Tara. "You mind not spooking the Watcher?" she said dryly. "He has enough problems, I think," she added.  
  
"Maybe," Tara replied stubbornly.  
  
"You really don't like him, do you?" Faith asked.  
  
"I don't like Watchers," Tara said firmly. She looked at Giles thoughtfully and added, "I haven't decided if he's any better than the usual type."  
  
"And what do you think of Slayers?" Faith asked curiously, a dangerous little smile lingering for a second on her face.  
  
Tara looked at her, honestly confused. "I have no problems with Slayers, " she finally said, "even though Buffy seems to be showing poor judgment."  
  
"You opening up the Bronze later?" Faith changed the subject, not sure if she really wanted to hear the evil Willow rant again.  
  
Tara smiled, "Of course." She hesitated, looking over at Faith as she asked, "Are you going to be stopping in tonight?"  
  
"Of course," Faith said casually.  
  
Even Tara seemed a bit surprised as she said, "I'm glad."  
  
Faith walked beside her a moment, watching Tara as she took in Willow, Buffy and Dawn talking together, Giles keeping an eye on them all. "Maybe you'll let me buy you a drink or something," Faith offered, "you have to go on break sometime."  
  
"Maybe," was Tara's noncommittal answer.  
  
Faith clearly wanted to ask for more, but decided not to push. "Thanks," was all she said, noting Giles was waving to her. She sighed, "Duty calls."  
  
"Have fun," Tara smiled wryly.  
  
Faith walked over to Giles and sighed, "Your timing sucks, G."  
  
"Huh?" Giles looked confused.  
  
"Never mind," Faith shook her head, "what's up?"  
  
"The vampires went after us in a coordinated way tonight," Giles said seriously, "I fear that someone may be leading the vampires of Sunnydale again."  
  
Faith looked at him thoughtfully, "We don't know for sure, of course. Do you have any idea of who might be leading them, assuming it's true?"  
  
"The Master sired many powerful vampires," Giles sighed, "and there are other old vampires out there, it could be anyone."  
  
"Lovely," Faith sighed.  
  
To be continued.... 


	14. 13

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Slayer and Shadow Part Thirteen

Tara frowned slightly, the brown haired woman cleaning out a glass as she carefully studied the young man standing before her. He didn't seem dangerous, somehow, but there still was an odd chill in her bones whenever she had to deal with him. "All right, Jonothan," she finally said, "I'll hold your tab but pay it off soon."

"Thanks," Jonothan smiled, "I'll do my best." With that the brown haired young man left, weaving through the crowd at the Bronze.

'I wish I knew why I dislike him,' Tara thought with a frown.

It was a busy night at the bar, young men and woman getting plenty of drinks and food as they talked away at the many cozy tables. The Bronze was popular both for the good food and for it's reputation. After Tara took over incidents of vampire attacks dropped like a brick, as well as any other form of supernatural danger.

'It tells you something about Sunnydale,' Tara mused as she poured a drink for Clem then shooed him off, 'that a bar would be better known for people not getting killed.'

There was a murmur in the customers, a mix of fear and respect as a group made their way up to the bar. Willow lead the way, the leather clad vampiress moving with a dark sort of grace. Buffy strode beside her, the blonde having an animal power about her that was nearly as intimidating as Willow's vampiric nature.

"Wow," Dawn looked around her wide eyed, her long brown hair flowing around her.

"Isn't she underage?" Tara asked with a smile.

"She's also with us," Buffy answered smoothly then held up her fingers in a Girl Scout-like salute, "and I promise to keep her away from any of the booze."

"But Buffy...." Dawn complained.

"Alright," Tara nodded slightly, "but keep an eye on her."

"Will do," Willow answered with a ghost of a smile.

Tara bit back her first response, a sarcastic comback that wouldn't do anyone any good. She still didn't trust the vampire with a soul, no matter what the other's said. "Don't bite the customers," Tara said that coldly to Willow.

"Tara," Buffy frowned.

"Let it go, love," Willow put her hand on Buffy's shoulder, meeting Tara's gaze calmly. "Could you send a pop, blood and beer over to our table?" she asked.

"Right," Tara nodded as they slipped away. She got their order ready and waved a waitress over, "Hey, Harmony!"

"Yes, ma'am," the blonde beamed as she picked up the tray. Harmony was a bit flighty but she was a good worker as long as she kept an eye on her.

"Over there," Tara nodded towards the table the three sat at, "and keep an eye out for the redhead, she bites."

"Right," Harmony bounced off with a smile.

'Too bad she thinks I'm just joking,' Tara thought with a slight shake of her head. There was a disturbance near the enterance and she looked up, eyes narrowed in concern, then her face relaxed into a welcoming smile.

Faith walked through the crowds easily, people shifting aside as she came. The black haired woman had a dangerous presence similar to that of Buffy, a sense of unleashed potential. The tight jeans and leather jacket also helped, giving her the look of a rebel. Any unwary enough to aproach her were scared off by the deadly glares she delivered.

"Hey, Tara," Faith's face was gentled by her smile as she reached the bar.

"Good to see you," Tara answered, realizing that she meant the simple courtesy. It felt good being here with Faith, the two of them, spending time together.

"Looking good," Faith grinned.

Tara blushed slightly as she tugged at the tight white t-shirt she wore tucked into blue jeans, meeting Faith's amused look. "It's just comfortable," she said, trying to look casual.

Faith chuckled softly. She pushed her black hair back as she said, "Sorry to say I had to bring the chaperones along."

Tara looked around curiously then frowned slightly as she saw Rupert Giles sitting at one of the side tables. Her eyebrows went up in surprise when she realized her mentor Jenny Calendar was sitting across from him, the two bending forward to talk intimately.

"They're seeing each other...?" Tara blinked.

"G-man says they're just friends," Faith said with an impish little smile, "but that's not the vibe I get from them."

Tara nodded thoughtfully even as sdhe drew a glass of beer and passed it to Faith. "If Jenny is his friend I may have to reassess him," she admitted.

"Thanks," Faith took the beer, taking a deep drink. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand as she said, "G's not so bad, or maybe it's beter to say he's bad in a good way."

"Oh?" Tara looked curious.

"Called up my old Watcher and blackmailed him into looking up G-man's file," Faith

drawled, "turns out he was not a nice young man. Was into the punk scene and dabbled in chaos magic." She grinned, "He even had a nickname."

"And what was that?" Tara asked with a little smile.

"Ripper," Faith said. She looked over at the conservative Englishman and murmured, "Can you even imagine him fitting that name?"

Tara looked thoughtful a moment. "You know, maybe," she finally answered quietly, "I think there's a strong core to him."

"You know," Faith took another drink of her beer, "you could be right." She set her mug down with a thump then Faith studied her intently with those dark eyes.

"What?" Tara asked, looking down into eyes that were like pools of dark water, concealing such hidden depths.

"What are you doing after work?" Faith asked, leaning up against the bar.

"Nothing, really," Tara looked confused as she continued, "why?"

"Because I'm asking you out on a date," Faith said simply. She flashed a smile, "Being subtle and waiting for you to get the idea wasn't working so I thought I'd ask."

"I...." Tara trailed off, a blush appearing on her cheeks. She wanted to turn her down, to say no but somehow she just couldn't seem to do it.

Faith waited a moment then sighed. "Sorry," she gave Tara a surprisingly gentle smile, "guess I got my signals crossed. Just forget I said anything, okay?"

"No," Tara started then said, "I mean, yes."

"Huh?" Faith looked at her curiously, seeming surprisingly vulnerable standing there in the dim light of the Bronze.

"Yes," Tara took a deep breath, "I'd like to go out on a date with you."

Over in the corner a quiet conversation was continuing. "I wonder what they're talking about?" Rupert Giles asked as they both felt Tara and Faith's gazes falling on them.

"Probably about us," Jenny Calendar chuckled softly. The brown haired woman reached for the bottle of wine and topped up each of their cups.

"You're kidding," Giles frowned.

"They're seeing two apparently middle aged adults sharing a night out together," Jenny pointed out, "adults both of them know. Of course they're talking about us."

"Oh dear," Giles sighed.

Jenny smirked. "It could be worse," she nodded to another table where Willow, Buffy and Dawn were sitting, "they haven't noticed us yet."

"Thank god," Giles muttered. He ran a hand through his short brown hair, "Anyway I'm glad you decided to go out with me tonight."

"Just as long as we don't talk shop," Jenny cautioned him, "no witchcraft or vampire slaying tonight. Just two adults, wine and pleasant conversation."

Giles took a drink, smiling back warmly, "I think I'd like that."

To be continued....


	15. 14

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Slayer and Shadow Part Fourteen

Willow looked down at the soundly sleeping Buffy, stroking the dirty blonde hair gently from her face. 'She's lovely,' she mused once again before quietly slipping from the bed. With her incredible night vision Willow carefully picked up her clothes, dressing in her leather dress smoothly before the redheaded vampire quietly slipped from the bedroom.

The other bedroom was equally quiet as Dawn slept soundly, the brown haired young girl curled up in the bed. Willow silently moved through the house to the kitchen, setting up the coffee pot for when Buffy awoke then headed outside, locking the door behind her.

The air had a bitter chill to it, the seasons gradually shifting towards winter. It was Halloween, one of the few nights where the creatures of the supernatural rarely ventured out. Giles had given Buffy the day off and they had taken full advantage of the quiet. Of course that didn't mean that other things couldn't happen...

Willow moved through town, the streets utterly silent as her black leather coat swirled around her. Once upon a time the streets would have been filled with kids, dressed in costume and running from door to door with bags open for candy, but the years spent under the Masters cruel rule had stopped that. Kids might be getting some candy from their parents, maybe, but that would be all.

The lights were still on at the Bronze, a few people still scattered around the building. Willow was tempted to go inside a moment but she wasn't sure she was up to dealing with Tara's cold shoulder tonight. 'Besides,' Willow smiled to herself, 'I saw the way Faith and Tara were together earlier. I wonder if anything is going to happen?'

Moving on she soon reached the odd familiarity of the cemetery, Willow casually leaping up over the fence onto the soft soil. She didn't really expect there to be any vampires rising tonight, the timing of any recent attacks wasn't right, but she wasn't taking any chances. The paths between the graves were well tended, the statues and tombstones gleamed from careful care. She felt him coming, despite his quiet and wasn't surprised when he spoke up.

"Rosenberg," Old man Snyder nodded to her curtly, the bald man leaning on his shovel. Once the principal of Sunnydale High he had lost so much when the Master took over the city, barely escaping the first attacks with his life. Oddly the once cowardly man had found himself helping Giles' vampire slayers, resigning to take up his position here to stand watch over the dead.

"Quiet night?" Willow asked.

"Of course," he said witheringly. Snyder shook his head, "You should be at home resting up for whatever comes tomorrow."

"I will," Willow smiled wryly, "but there's some people I wanted to pay my respects to."

"Huh," Snyder shrugged, "just don't make a mess."

"Yes, sir," Willow said as she moved on.

The route Willow walked was one that she remembered well, careful not to disturb flowers resting on plots, the tributes left by the living to the remembered dead. Finally she came to a stop in front of matching gravestones, each bearing the same last name as hers.

Willow took a deep breath and said, "Mother, Father, it's been a while." She sat down there on the grass, tucking the cloth beneath her legs as she tried to find the right words. 'Just like when they were alive,' she thought with an edge of bitterness, 'it was never easy to talk to them then, so why should it be easy now?'

"I guess I just wanted to tell you I found someone," Willow said softly. She smiled to herself fondly, "Buffy's.. a bit different, but I think you'd like her. We compliment each other pretty well."

She could just imagine their comments on her being gay and Willow shook her head. Her parents had been liberal, of a sort, saying all the right things and believing in all the right causes. They were both intellectuals, reading from the best parenting books and following their guidance but showing warmth... or even some sincerity had been a bit lacking.

"I'll see you." Willow got up, brushing her legs off. She turned and headed off into the darkness, knowing that there was someone else that she needed to visit. The graves over here were a bit less well kept up, mostly because there were no bodies, just markers to remind people that they had once existed. They were vampires who had been dusted, no bodies left for burial and often no family members left to remember them by.

'A lot like me,' Willow thought grimly as she looked at the name on one of the stones. 'Alexander Harris' and a pair of dates were etched in stone, then just below that had been added the date he had been dusted in the final battle with the Master a few months ago.

"Happy Halloween, Wills," the young man's voice said from behind her.

"You're just a product of my imagination," Willow looked over to where the brown haired young man casually perched on a tombstone, "Xander."

"You guys did a pretty good job on the tombstone," Xander nodded to it, the spirit smiling wryly as he added, "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Willow sighed.

She had first seen the ghost standing in the cemetery just a few weeks ago, and had originally chalked it up to a guilty mind. Still, she had ventured back a few times, trying to find out what it was she had seen. There was no sense of dark supernatural forces, no evil magic or threat and eventually she had made contact with him.

"So how's the vampire slaying going?" Xander asked curiously.

Willow shrugged, "They were pretty disorganized at first, broken into roving gangs. We did a lot of damage but now they seem to be getting organized."

"A new master vamp?" Xander offered.

"No one's saying anything," Willow said as she leaned up against another tombstone, "so there's no way to be sure."

"Well, make sure to watch your back," Xander said to her firmly, "I don't want more of your company that badly."

"I'll try," Willow grinned.

Xander looked over at her with a impish little smile, "So who's the pretty blonde I've been seeing you with?"

Willow could actually feel herself blush a little as she said, "She's my girlfriend, Buffy.":

Xander broke into a grin, "Too bad I'm not still alive, I'd compete with you for her."

Willow just shook her head, "I think I'm keeping her very happy, thanks." She tilted her head back, "The only complication has been her little sister showing up."

"Puts a bit of a crimp in ravaging your girlfriend in front of the fireplace," Xander remarked. He saw the blush steal across Willow's face and laughed, "You did!"

"Xander!" Willow scolded.

Xander just laughed evilly at the look on her face. He looked at her thoughtfully, "So are you two planning on making this... more permanent?"

Willow looked off into the distance uncomfortably. "I haven't asked," she said, "and I'm not all that sure how Buffy would respond."

Xander smiled, "From how I saw her looking at you, I don't think she'd mind." He seemed to fade a little as he continued, "If you don't ask, you'll never know."

Xander continued to fade away as Willow quickly said, "See you later." In only a moment the young man was gone, leaving only a chill in the air in his wake.

Quietly Willow slipped away from the graveyard, sensing that sunrise wasn't all that far away. No one was outside, the city dead silent as she cut through town then out to the formerly abandoned mansion that had become their home. She looked in on Dawn once again then went into the bedroom that she and Buffy shared.

"You're cold," Buffy murmured, cuddling close as Willow climbed into bed beside her. Sleepily she asked, "Where did you go?"

Willow pulled Buffy close, smelling the lovely scent that she gave off. "Just talking to an old friend," she answered.

"Maybe you'll introduce me," Buffy murmured.

Willow smiled, "Maybe." They lay there as Willow tried to make her mouth move, to ask the question that Xander suggested, but she couldn't seem to manage it.

Buffy snored softly and Willow sighed. Buffy had fallen back asleep. With a smile she cuddled to Buffy even as Willow murmured to herself, "Next time."

To be continued...


	16. 15

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Slayer and Shadow

Part Fifteen

Tara looked into the mirror with a frown, reaching up to run a hand through her brown hair. "Wish I looked better," she sighed, adjusting the clothes she had picked out. Going with an older look she had chosen a simple dress and top, both in a mildly folksy pattern.

It had been, frankly, a long time since Tara had considered going on a date, and most of those had been when she was trying to follow her parent's wishes and date guys. Her experience dating girls was pretty much limited to her short time in college, right before the Master's rise to power. She had discovered the gay society and wiccan clubs, and in the process came to learn more about herself.

"I'm going to be late," Tara frowned as she headed to the apartment door, grabbing her coat and pulling it on as she went out the door.

The streets of Sunnydale were quiet as Tara strode towards the Bronze, glad that she had chosen to live so close to her work. She was in so much of a hurry that she wasn't paying quite as much attention as she might have, and so was taken by surprise.

The vampire lunged from the shadows, eyes blazing as it knocked her down and went for her throat. Tara managed to hold it off, struggling, but she knew it was going to get her. It's breath washed across her face as the fangs drew closer, mouth stretched wide... when it suddenly stiffened. A sharp end of wood stuck from it's chest then it simply turned to dust, revealing a woman standing confidently in the moonlight.

Faith offered her hand, "Are you all right?"

"Nothing hurt but my pride," Tara sighed, taking her hand so that Faith could firmly pull her back to her feet.

Faith stood there dressed in black, a leather jacket, pants and a pale colored T-shirt. Only a touch of make-up marked her face, highlighting those eyes and full, red lips. Lips that were quirked in a gentle smile as she asked, "What?"

"You look good," she answered her softly, Tara returning that smile with one of her own.

"So do you," Faith answered softly. She kept that hand in her own as she said with a little smile, "So, what do you want to do tonight?"

They walked together towards the Bronze, a gentle breeze stirring their hair. The fall weather was surprisingly comfortable, a gentle warmth carried in the air. "To be honest I hadn't really thought that far ahead," she admitted.

"I have some suggestions," Faith smiled wickedly, "but most of them are immoral."

"Faith!" Tara scolded, but she was still smiling.

Faith shrugged with a smile, "Hey, at least I'm honest."

"True," Tara smiled. The Bronze was busy, of course, like most weekday nights, but the lines swiftly gave way as the two women went inside.

"So who's watching the place for you tonight?" Faith asked curiously.

"I was a bit surprised who volunteered," Tara nodded towards the bar.

"Damn," Faith's eyes went wide in surprise.

Jenny Calendar smoothly drew some beer, her short brown hair framing her face. The bold scar at her neck went oddly well with the goth looking clothes she had chosen. Beside her dressed in much more casual clothes than was his normal style was Rupert Giles, slinging drinks almost as well as his female companion.

Tara shrugged with a little smile, "Jenny said she wanted to, then Giles surprised me by agreeing to help out."

"I didn't know the G-man had it in him," Faith said with a laugh.

"Welcome," Giles looked up with a smile as he saw them. He smiled as he quietly confessed, "You know, I haven't had this much fun since I was involved in the London club scene."

"Everything is going fine," Jenny swiftly anticipated her student's question, "now go find yourselves a seat, I'll send Buffy over with something for you."

"Buffy?" Tara blinked.

"Well, I couldn't leave her unsupervised," Giles shrugged, "and she, Willow and Dawn were all quite eager to help out."

"Though I think that Dawn just wanted to try and sneak in some underaged drinking," Jenny confided to them impishly.

"No way," Giles said firmly.

Jenny chuckled as she turned to handle a customer, "We'll see."

Faith had to laugh softly. "We'll catch up with you latter," she waved to them as she and Tara headed for a corner table.

"What a night," Tara murmured with a smile.

Faith casually pulled out a chair for Tara then sat down in her own, studying the other woman thoughtfully. "Did I really surprise you," she asked, "when I asked you out a few nights ago?"

"Yes," Tara quietly admitted, "I haven't been asked out very often. I've only really had one girlfriend, before now."

"I find that pretty hard to believe," Faith met her eyes as she confessed, "I wanted to ask you out the day I met you."

"What, when we were all fighting?" Tara blinked.

"You're beautiful when you're angry," Faith shrugged.

"Here's your beers," Buffy set the two bottles down with a soft clink, offering them both cheery smiles. She looked good in the sleek dress she was wearing, dirty blonde hair styled to highlight her expressive eyes.

"Thank you," a faintly blushing Tara said.

"Good timing, B," Faith sighed.

With a smile that all but said she knew exactly what she had interrupted Buffy added, "If you need anything else, just ask."

"If I asked for what I wanted," Faith tossed an impish look over at Tara as she growled out, "Willow would probably have a fit."

Buffy actually blushed, "You are a bad girl, Faith." With that she was off, heading back towards the bar where Dawn was talking to some of the other patrons.

Tara chuckled softly, looking over at Faith with pure amusement. "You really like disconcerting her," she said thoughtfully, taking a drink of her own beer.

Faith nodded as she picked up her beer, taking a long pull before putting it down with a happy sigh, "Oh yeah." She looked over at Tara, "Of course, what I'd like to be doing with you would get us thrown out of here."

"I'm no model," Tara blushed faintly, "why are you so interested?"

"Models are overrated," Faith smiled at her as she teasingly drawled, "no endurance at all." More seriously she added, "And you are lovely."

Tara met her eyes, knowing that the young woman meant every word. "And you're beautiful," she murmured softly.

Standing up by the bar Willow looked over at the faintly blushing Buffy and asked her lover, "What happened?"

Buffy chuckled, "Faith decided to get me out of there by teasing me."

Willow pushed her red tinted brown hair back, "Somehow, that doesn't really surprise me." She studied the two women who were sitting so closely together and smiled, "At least things look like they're going well."

They heard a laugh and watched as Dawn ran by, carrying a load of empties to the bar. "Someone actually goosed me," she reported happily.

"What are you so happy about?" Buffy frowned.

"It's the first time someone noticed me enough to do that," Dawn grinned.

To be continued...


	17. 16

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Slayer and Shadow

Part Sixteen

The vampire spat blood as he was slammed to the ground, the shadowy figure looking down at him coldly. "Is that all you got?" she asked, the young woman's black hair flowing like a wave around her. She wore a simple black dress, leather boots and gloves complimenting her bone pale skin.

"Drusilla," he whimpered, trying to rise, "I didn't mean anything by..."

"Shut up," Drusilla said coldly, kicking him in the back of the head and slamming his face into the cement floor. With a smooth move she took a broken piece of chair and plunged into him from behind, turning him into dust.

The other vampires milled about nervously, looking at her in fear as Drusilla rose, casting the piece of wood aside confidently. There was a feral dangerousness to her, the madness that had once tainted the pretty young girl was gone, replaced by much darker impulses. She had arrived only days ago, but already she commanded much of the city's vampires by sheer power and intimidation.

Drusilla swept the room as she said, "I didn't like him threatening my precious one, and I hope the rest of you learned that lesson well."

The soft sound of heels on stone came from the shadows and she appeared, slinking from the dark to stand closely beside Drusilla. "It's all right, love," Amy smiled, her blonde hair flowing over her shoulders, fangs gleaming, "though I appreciate it."

Drusilla cupped the other woman's face, drawing her near for a kiss. They separated a moment later, a smile flickering across Dru's face as she murmured, "I remember when you burned Spike, it was so exciting."

"I was sorry about that," Amy answered gently, "I didn't MEAN to destroy him like that." She chuckled softly, "I do think things turned out for the best, though."

"Oh yes," Dru purred as Amy stroked her body. She turned her gaze to the gawking vampires who still gazed on, "Get going, find what you can on the Slayers and their allies."

Amy rested her hand on Dru's bottom, squeezing possessively. "And tell me more about Willow," she agreed, "I want to meet my sire once again."

The vampires quickly left, obeying the wills of their new mistresses, even as the two women stood in the long abandoned factory. "We'll need to find a better den," Dru moaned as hands cupped her round breasts, tugging harshly on her pointy nipples, "the Slayers will come here first, when we send the drones out."

"We have surprises waiting for them," Amy reassured her as they moved to a back room, the scent of blood lingering in the air, "and weapons they won't expect."

"Mmmmph!" the redheaded girl made a muffled sound, her mouth sealed by a black ball gag, leather bonds tying her to the mattress in the middle of the room.

"You brought me a present!" Dru exclaimed.

Amy chuckled softly, "Only the best for you, m'love." She dropped her voice a bit as she revealed, "She hasn't been bled yet, either, fresh for you."

"Ohhh," Dru purred, licking her lips as the girl on the bed began to struggle more violently. She took a half step forward the stopped, smiling at Amy, "Would you like to share?"

Amy smiled happily, following Dru over to the bed. Dru slid in front of the girl, settling comfortably even as Amy cuddled up behind the terrified girl. "Don't fight," Amy murmured into the girl's ear, "or we'll have to hurt you."

A single tear trickled down the girl's cheek and Dru chuckled. "She really is darling, Amy," Dru said as she licked the tear from her face.

Amy chuckled, letting her hands roam over the young girl's body. "Do you want to keep her then?" she asked cheerfully.

"We'll see," Dru said thoughtfully as her features swiftly shifted to the inhuman vamp-face, "how hungry we get."

"Mmm Hmmph!" the girl jerked wildly as the fangs plunged into one side of her neck, her body convulsing. A second, weaker cry followed as Amy struck, biting down on the other side.

Amy and Dru held the writhing girl close, both enjoying feeling the child's wild movements as they sucked, drinking deep of the fresh, clean blood. Her struggles began to ebb away, slowing, then reluctantly both vampires pulled away while her breath still caused her well developed chest to rise and fall weakly.

"I think we'll keep her," Amy said contentedly.

Dru nodded, "That WAS fun." She leaned over the unconscious, bloody girl and kissed Amy, mixing the girl's blood between their mouths, tongues dueling. Letting the child sleep they drew together, hands tearing at clothes as they gave into animal passion.

"I thought that Drusilla was nuts?" the vampire remarked, his long brown hair falling into his eyes. There was a sense of age about him, even with his youthful beauty, and a sinister aspect.

"Don't let anyone else hear you say that, Scott," the woman commented, the two striding down the dark alley together.

"Guess she doesn't like to be reminded," Scott noted. He looked over at her, "You've been here longer than most, Claire...?"

Claire smiled wryly, her short black hair falling into her eyes. She hadn't died all that long ago, and still looked like your typical teenager, not a deathless monster. "Considering the Mistress sired me," she shrugged, "I guess I know more than most."

Scott paled, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."

Claire waved it off, "Never mind." She lead the way a few moments, "Truth was that m'lady really was crazy, and for years."

The taller man watched their surroundings warily, wondering if any of the slayers might be lingering. "So what changed?" he asked.

"You know about how the Mistress got made, Alex?" Claire asked.

"She was a pet project of a vampire named Angelus," Alex recalled, "he found out about her second sight then set out to take everything away from her, break her completely. Once he was done making her crazy, he turned her."

"So what changed?" Scott asked.

"Angelus died," Claire smiled grimly, "and apparently he had been exerting some kind of influence on her, even after all these years. Once he was slain..."

"Dru regained her sanity?" Scott sounded skeptical.

"Not quite that simple," Claire said dryly.

"It gave Amy an opening," Alex surprised them by saying, "and she managed to break through the craziness."

"Exactly," Claire agreed, "Amy had been a healer before being turned by Willow and retained some of those skills as a vamp."

"So she managed to repair Dru and now she's second in command," Scott sounded thoughtful, his expression clearly calculating.

"Don't underestimate Amy," Claire was deadly serious as she continued, "she's shared blood with the Mistress as well as being very devious herself."

"Okay, okay," Scott yielded.

"I sort of wish Amy had shared that catch of hers around," Alex rumbled mournfully.

"She's in for one hell of a time," Claire murmured in fond memory, touching her throat were fading scars marked both sides of her throat. She shook herself as she became business like, "And we've got our own hunting to do."

"Dibs on fresh meat," Scott said promptly.

"Why did I KNOW you were going to say that?" Alex rolled his eyes.

"You two are going to be the death of me," Claire growled.

To be continued...


	18. 17

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Slayer and Shadow

Part Seventeen

Tara sighed softly as she felt herself slowly come awake, laying there on the bed in her rooms not far from the Bronze. The brown haired young woman opened her eyes, blinking tiredly, then she smiled happily as she saw who lay beside her.

Faith looked much gentler, somehow, when she was fast asleep, the normally battle capable vampire slayer defenseless as she slept. Many scars marked her slim, muscled body, but as Tara had quickly learned last night they hadn't touched on the warrior's soul, Faith treating her with such gentleness and caring.

A blush colored her cheeks as Tara remembered how they had left the Bronze together, conversing softly as Faith walked her home. Inviting Faith up had seemed the right thing to do, and talk and gently led them into going to bed together. Faith had been a warm and compassionate lover, going as slow as Tara needed her to, then helping her in satisfying her own hungers.

"Good morning," Faith murmured, smiling at Tara gently.

"It is, isn't it?" Tara softly agreed, feeling a flash of pleasure at the warmly contented look on Faith's face. She reached out to gently push the slightly messy hair back and Faith purred, tilting her head to maximize that touch.

Faith cupped Tara's hand then kissed it gently. "I don't know how long I'll be able to stay in Sunnydale," she admitted softly, "but this isn't casual for me, Tara."

"Me, too," Tara admitted. She smiled wryly, "And I have obligations to the coven to fulfill..."

Faith chuckled. "I guess we'll take it one day at a time," she offered.

Tara took one of Faith's hands and squeezed it gently, "Fair enough."

Reluctantly Faith sat up, still keeping a gentle grip on Tara's hand. "As much as I'd like to stay laying here," she sighed, "I'd better check in with Giles."

"I think that Jenny would have told him what we were doing," Tara pointed out gently.

Faith chuckled softly, "Yeah, but I don't want his uptight British underwear to get into too tight of a knot."

"Here," a clearly amused Tara handed Faith the bedside phone.

Faith dialed the number by memory and smiled as the phone was picked up on the first ring. "Hey G-man, how's it hanging?" Her face quickly lost all amusement as she listened, "Yes, right. I'll meet you there."

"What's wrong?" Tara asked worriedly.

"Vampire attack last night," Faith said grimly as she grabbed at her clothes and began to dress, "and it looks like they murdered the mayor."

"Goddess," Tara breathed out, her face grave. With a grim look she began to dress too, "I'd better tag along, if you don't mind."

"Always glad for the help," Faith admitted, "but why this one?"

"Because the mayor was also a major occultist," was Tara's grim reply.

Meanwhile, Rupert Giles and several allies were already cautiously looking around the office where the Mayor's bloodless corpse had been found that morning. "So how did we get in here again?" Buffy asked, the sandy blonde haired woman looking with some distaste at a odd statue.

"I developed some pull with the police when the Master was running rampant," Giles noted, pushing his glasses up as he carefully studied a book. "Don't touch that, by the way, it probably has a curse protecting it."

"Ick," Buffy quickly pulled her hand away.

Willow gave him a look, "This whole place has a creepy aura around it, watcher."

"Very perceptive," Jenny Calendar said wryly, the witch and former computer teacher cautiously sorting through a case containing mystical artifacts. "It appears he was more than involved with the occult," she continued, "he was working black sorcery."

"As in?" Buffy asked cautiously.

"Looking through the scattered documents," Giles gazed about at the wreckage in the room, including artifacts and rare books, "he was studying demons and demonic ascension."

"Lovely," Buffy blinked, "what's that?"

"Becoming a unstoppable, full blooded demon," Giles said dryly.

"We were lucky, though," Jenny noted, "it seems he had the chance to do it several years ago but was prevented by the Master. He's been biding his time ever since, waiting for another chance."

"But why would the Master stop him?" Buffy looked curious, "I mean, wouldn't they both be on the same side?"

"I suspect the Master wouldn't want someone around with more power than he had," Willow said grimly. She looked towards Giles, "Any idea what the vamps who killed him took?"

"Several scrolls of prophecy appear to be missing from the inventory he maintained of his collection," Giles said grimly.

"Prophecies about?" Jenny asked.

"The apocalypse, it seems," Giles pushed up his glasses reflexedly.

"No, that doesn't sound too good," Faith said as she led the way inside the office, Tara following close behind her.

Tara flinched as she crossed the threshold, shuddering. "What did he have in here?" she gasped out, face pale.

"What?" Faith reached out to steady her, eyes wide with concern.

"There's such a strong aura of evil about this place," Tara visibly shuddered as she confessed, "it makes my skin crawl."

Jenny looked at Tara with gentle concern, "I'm sorry, I forgot how much more sensitive you are to things like this."

"A little beyond getting the ordinary willies?" Buffy asked softly.

Willow nodded her agreement, "A sensitive can get a impression of what has happened in a place, especially if great good or evil has happened there."

"I'm surprised you know that," Buffy said quietly.

"I studied the craft a bit before..." Willow trailed off, the vampire shrugging slightly.

'Before she became a vampire,' Tara thought but didn't say anything. To Jenny she offered a reassuring smile, "I'll be all right, just give me a moment."

Faith was reluctant, but Tara was clearly determined to manage on her own. Giving the other woman her space she looked at Giles, "So they have these prophecies about the apocalypse... they wouldn't happen to be instruction books on how to cause one?"

"In the wrong hands," Giles conceded, "yes."

"Great," Buffy looked disgusted, "but why would the master of these vamps want to destroy the world?"

"Some vampires are nihilists," Giles shrugged tiredly, "destroying the world might seem to them like a great idea."

"And who says that the apocalypse would destroy the world?" Tara offered. She smiled grimly, "It might just destroy most of human civilization."

"An' the vamps would have a field day," Faith realized.

Jenny nodded grimly, "Which means we need to recover the prophecies as soon as possible." She pulled her jacket around her as she said, "I'll gather the coven, try to determine who is leading the vampires magically."

Buffy looked towards Willow, Faith and Tara, "I guess we'll be increasing the patrols."

"And I'll hit the books," Giles said grimly, "try to find other copies of the prophecies so we can try to head them off somehow."

"Let's just hope that's enough," Willow murmured.

To be continued...


	19. 18

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Slayer and Shadow

Part Eighteen

The first vampire went out of the window with a crash of broken glass, hitting the sidewalk hard enough to stun even an inhuman creature like himself. Realizing he wanted nothing to do with the mayhem going on inside he scurried away, putting as much room between them and him as possible. Others soon followed.

Willow Rosenburg stopped punching her latest captive, noting that he was unconscious. Letting him drop to the floor with a thump she looked around coldly while getting a feel for the emotions in the room, the terror the monsters felt nearly pleasurable to her. The reddish haired woman smiled grimly, "What do you think, partner?"

Buffy Summers grinned from where she stood nearby, her own stunned vamp laying at her feet. "I don't think they know anything," she said with a casual sort of dangerousness, "why don't I just stake them all anyway?"

"I'm sorry," Willow addressed the group of clearly terrified vampires, "she's the Slayer, and it's kind of hard to hold her back." She paused a moment to let them think about it, "But if you can tell me who attacked the Mayor...?"

With an eagerness driven by pure fear the vamps in the room squealed, revealing that there was a new master vampire in the city, though surprisingly it was a woman. She and her partner had arrived a little more than three weeks ago, rising to the top of the city's pecking order via pure ruthlessness and more than a bit of insanity.

"So what is her name?" Buffy purred threateningly.

He started to say, "I think it's..."

With a furious cry another vamp staked him before he could speak, the face frozen in surprise before he simply crumbled to ash. With a curse Willow went for him but he reversed his stake and stabbed himself, his body dissolving to ash right in front of both surprised women.

"I'll be damned," Willow muttered as the remaining vamps fled as quietly as they could, "whoever runs things has them so scared they'd rather die than reveal information."

"So what now?" Buffy asked, her dirty blonde hair falling into her eyes.

"First we'll go shake down Willie the snitch," Willow said as she lead the way outside, her leather coat fluttering around her legs, "then we'll start breaking up more bars."

"Sounds fun," Buffy said with a faint smile.

"Here's hoping that Giles and Jenny can get some results in their research," Willow said wryly, "because I think we're going to come up dry."

That had Buffy looking at Willow in surprise, "Why?"

Willow smiled grimly, "This new master vamp has the regular types scared, so much so that they'll die to protect her. It doesn't give us much leverage."

"Let's hope you're wrong," Buffy sighed.

Sadly, it looked like Willow was going to be right. Willie couldn't give them much more than background, and after thrashing two more bars they weren't much more ahead. All the vamps knew someone new had taken over, but no one would say exactly who.

"I hate it when you're right," Buffy sighed as they walked down the sidewalk.

Willow reached out to pat her arm comfortingly. "Don't worry, I figure next time is your turn to be right," she offered.

"Gee, thanks," Buffy chuckled. She smiled, "I wonder if Tara and Faith are doing any better than we are?"

CRASH!

The window of the bar they were walking towards exploded outward in a shower of glass, a vampire hitting the ground and laying there stunned. Hurrying forward both young women heard Faith ask from inside, "Who is the new Master?"

"I'd tell her," Tara said gently, clearly playing the good cop, "I don't know how much longer I can hold her back."

Faith actually growled, glaring down at him menacingly.

Buffy and Willow looked at each other then ducked into a nearby alley before breaking out in a case of giggles. "Guess we had the same sort of idea," a grinning Willow said, working hard to regain her self control.

"God," Buffy snickered, "I wonder if it was Faith or Tara who came up with that?"

"Well, Giles did say to lean on people," Willow said cheerfully as they finally composed themselves, "I guess we all got the same idea."

Buffy lead the way into the bar, the two stepping over a mess of unconscious or dead monsters of one type or another. Faith looked up as the black haired woman let her victim go, "Well that was a spectacular waste of my time."

"No luck either?" Willow asked crisply.

Tara's face seemed to shut down as Willow entered, her body tensing slightly. "No progress," the brown haired woman conceded, "whoever the master is, he commands great loyalty."

"Or they're more scared of the master than us," Faith pointed out calmly.

Buffy quietly filled them in on the vampire who killed his comrade then offed himself. "Yeah," she sighed, "they're scared."

"Damn," Tara murmured softly. She frowned, "There's been rumors of two powerful vamps, but nothing firm."

The four women stepped out of the wrecked bar, standing under a streetlamp as they exchanged what little they had picked up. "It's getting near to dawn," Willow noted, "we'd better give up for the night."

Buffy chuckled, "Besides, I need to go rescue Giles from Dawnie."

"You're little sister is that bad?" Faith asked as they walked.

Buffy wasn't offended, she just laughed. "No, but I don't think Giles has ever had to deal with a younger girl before," she explained, "he looked badly out of his depth."

"Maybe I should suggest that Jenny help him out," Tara offered with a slight smile, "she's got a motherly touch."

"And it would give her and the G-man more time together," Faith laughed.

"I think I cut it a bit too fine," Willow frowned as the sky began to lighten. She quickly crossed to the middle of the street and pulled off a manhole cover and said to Buffy, "I'll take the underground, do you want to meet me at home?"

"I'd rather go with you," Buffy trotted over to her side. Making their farewells to Tara and Faith they disappeared into the maze of tunnels beneath the city.

"That must take some getting used to," Faith said as she and Tara headed out again.

"Hmm," Tara nodded slightly. She hesitated a moment then softly asked, "What do you think of Willow?"

Faith looked at her thoughtfully, "To be honest, I'm beginning to like her. The vamp thing still makes me nervous, but so far she doesn't show any signs of reverting to the dark side."

"I'm torn," Tara conceded, "on one hand, like you I'm starting to like her. She's kind, generous and deeply in love with Buffy." Her expression hardened, "And on the other hand I can't forget that she slaughtered my coven and killed my lover, Amy."

Faith looked at her in shock, "I'm sorry."

"It's been a few years," Tara said, "and while I'm not over it I have put it behind me." She took Faith's hand and squeezed it, "And I'm moving forward again at last."

"I was pretty sure you two disliked each other but I didn't realize it was so serious," Faith said softly. She smiled grimly, "To be honest, I'm surprised you can even work with her."

"Jenny asked me to," Tara said. She frowned as she had to admit, "And even I know that what Willow is now is not what she was then."

"Still, it can't be easy." Faith gave Tara's hand a comforting squeeze as she said, "If there's any way I can help, ask."

"You're already helping," Tara gently kissed her.

To be continued...


	20. 19

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Slayer and Shadow

Part Nineteen

Night fell over Sunnydale, California once again, and a certain breed of creature emerged from their rest. The Hellmouth beneath the city drew creatures of all types here, from demons to shapeshifters to beings that defied most conventional classification. Many lived surprisingly orderly lives but most lived to bring chaos, much like these two females.

"The Judge?" Dru offered, the dark haired woman holding up a scroll that had been made of pressed human flesh. The writing on it was deep red like blood, and it seemed to pulse in the dim light of their den beneath the high school. The cavern they dwelled in had once belonged to the Master, the former leader of the vampires here, and controlling it granted them a certain degree of prestige. As a bonus, it was convenient to all the good eats upstairs.

"No," Amy shook her head as the blonde read her own scroll, "he can only zap a few mortals at a time. Not so good when we want wide spread havoc."

"True," Dru sighed as she casually tossed the priceless scroll aside. "We could always go to Wolfram & Hart for a reference on End the World demons."

"Too pricey," Amy noted, "we have goons but other than that we're broke."

"Bleh," Dru made a face, digging into the scrolls again. "Who knew there were so many end the world prophecies to choose from?" She brightened, "We could always ascend!" She read farther, "Scratch that, we'd turn into giant worms."

"Ick," was Amy's succinct reply. "How about the Vocah?"

"Yes, he's a warrior of the underworld," Dru acknowledged, "the Master tried to call one up once. Took out ten vamps before we could send it back."

"Not a happy puppy," Amy guessed.

"Broke the Master's leg so badly he claimed it ached every winter," Dru nodded. "Probably an exaggeration, but who knows?"

Amy agreed, "I wouldn't want to find out."

"Lets see, Lcycoris, Aura..." finally Dru cast a scroll aside with a sigh of disgust. "Love, I'm bored!" she bitched.

Amy set her own tome aside and moved over to Dru's side, kissing her gently. "I suppose we could take a break," she purred softly into Dru's ear, then kissed her again, passionately.

Meanwhile, above them in the school library Rupert Giles took off his glasses to rub at his eyes tiredly, his brown hair falling into his eyes. The tables around them were stacked with books of all types, along with papers from the police, insurance companies and other official documents.

"You all right, G?" Faith asked quietly, her long hair flowing down her back. Dyed black the brown roots were beginning to show, but it still looked good on her.

"Just tired," he admitted. "Trying to determine exactly which books the vampires took is exhausting, much less which they might try using."

Jenny Calendar smiled fondly as the witch carried him a cup of tea from the office, "This should help a bit."

"Thank you," Giles sighed. He frowned, "Not to mention checking in on Dawn..."

The brown haired woman smiled at Faith as Jenny asked, "So how's Tara?"

Faith actually felt herself blush faintly under her knowingly amused gaze. "She's just fine," she answered Jenny with as much dignity she could muster, "I saw her off just before she headed over to run the Bronze."

Dropping her voice a little Jenny went over to Faith's side as she quietly said, "Tara told me about you two, and I approve." Tentatively she reached out to put a hand on Faith's shoulder and squeeze it reassuringly.

"Thank you," Faith said wryly.

Returning to work Jenny smiled, "Any luck, Rupert?"

"Some," Giles acknowledged as he sipped his tea with contentment. "The insurance papers listed most the Mayor's books and we have a good idea of what was take, but finding additional copies or references on them has been difficult."

"Not surprising," Jenny agreed.

"Why just most of the books?" Faith asked.

"I suspect at least some of the books in his collection were acquired illegally," Giles sounded quite disapproving, "he couldn't list them on legal papers."

"About the copies or references," Jenny smiled slightly as she asked sweetly, "have you tried a internet search?"

"No," Giles frowned and Jenny chuckled softly.

"Am I missing something?" Faith asked as they exchanged a smile.

"Dear Rupert is a bit behind the times," Jenny explained, "he hates computers."

"There's nothing like handling a book," Giles shrugged uncomfortably.

Jenny paused to kiss him on the cheek. "I'll check the internet for whatever data I can find," she smiled at him fondly, "I'll be back in a bit."

"Good luck," Giles murmured, likely unaware of the caring in his own eyes.

'They sure are cute for a pair of old folks,' Faith thought with amusement as she opened up yet another book. "Well eww," she muttered, seeing another illustration of a destructive creature. The mind boggled at the number of things that lurked outside of reality, waiting for some fool to open a way for them to enter and wreak havoc.

"A, a great Old One," Giles noted the picture. "Supposedly the basis of Lovecraft's fiction, though that may be in question..."

Wham! The doors to the library crashed open and two figures staggered in, both looking the worse for wear. Buffy was bleeding from various cuts, the dirty blonde's clothing torn in places while Willow looked outwardly fine, but the reddish-brown haired woman had a murderous look in her eyes.

"Yo, B!" Faith leapt to her feet to race to their side.

"Are you all right?" Giles demanded, looking at both Willow and Buffy with concern.

'Well, well, worried about me too?' Willow thought with some amusement. "We're fine," she reassured them, "just a bit singed around the edges." She waved them off as she helped Buffy to a seat then stood protectively beside her.

"Willow's right," Buffy groaned a bit then smiled grimly, "the Slayer healing should have me fixed up in a hour or two."

"So what happened to you two?" Faith demanded.

"We heard a rumor that the new vampire queen was operating out of the Master's old factory," Willow revealed, "we decided to check it out."

"Alone?" Giles frowned.

"Our plan was to just check out the place," Buffy reassured him with some amusement, "then bring back the rest of the team."

"And," Faith prompted impatiently.

"Trap," Willow admitted with a sigh, "first they jumped us with hench vamps, then someone blew up the building."

"They blew it up?" Faith blinked, "Hardcore!"

"That's rather unusual," Giles looked intrigued, "vampires rarely seem to stay current with modern technology.. to use explosives is remarkable."

"We almost get blown up and he's more interested in the vamps using explosives," Buffy shook her head.

"That's our G-man," Faith agreed.

To be continued...

Notes: Several of the monsters mentioned by Amy and Dru are from various episodes of either Buffy or Angel, including the infamous Wolfram and Hart.


	21. 20

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Slayer and Shadow

Part Twenty

In most towns the busiest time is during the day, when workers rush to their jobs, students hurry to school and the streets are packed with life. In the Hellmouth cursed city of Sunnydale, however, the darkest period of night was filled with an unholy sort of life, the creatures outside of humanity teeming on the darkened streets.

"Shit," the vampire cursed, his long brown hair falling into his eyes as they tried to bolt. There was a sense of great age about him, even with his youthful beauty, and a sinister aspect shimmered in his eyes. He looked like a killer, someone so drenched in blood that he no longer cared at all.

"We've got to keep ahead of them, Scott," the woman said a bit breathlessly as the two raced through the darkness.

"I don't think we're going to be able to manage that, Claire," Scott said as they smoothly went up and over the chainlink fence in just two bounds.

Claire smiled back at him grimly, her short black hair falling into her eyes as she grabbed a nearby trash can, tossing it back towards their hunters with incredible force. She hadn't died all that long ago, and so still looked just like your typical teenager, not a monster, as long as you didn't notice the occult aura. "How did they...?" she growled.

Striding after them with a kind of relentless focus around them was the slayer and her shadowy vampire ally, both eerily beautiful in the dim light of the few streetlamps. "You might as well stop running," Buffy yelled, her dirty blonde hair falling into intense eyes.

"All you're doing is delaying the inevitable," Willow agreed, the reddish-brown haired woman keeping up with ease, her smile showing a bit of fang.

Buffy smiled grimly as she called out to them, "Do you really think I was going to let you get away with trying to blow us up? I saw you in that mob, and now we want answers."

Scott raced around a corner, waiting a moment for Claire then they ran on. "Do you think we can get away?" he asked urgently.

"We have to try," Claire said softly, "we must warn the mistresses that the Slayer and the abomination still live."

Scott reached out to her, "Stop a moment."

"Eh?" Claire looked over at him impatiently, well aware they only had a small lead.. only to be felled with a single powerful blow to the head.

"I'm sorry," Claire could hear Scott talking almost like it was far off in the distance, "but one of us has a better chance of fleeing them than two. Good luck." With that he was gone, racing off out of her line of sight.

"Son of a bi..." Claire slurred as she tried to pull herself up, then feeling her hope entirely fade as the slayer found her.

"They always betray one another," Buffy noted wryly as the tough young woman yanked Claire to her feet, "it's so predictable."

"It relates to the demon side, I think," Willow said dryly. Seeing the impotent fury flickering in Claire's eyes she smiled slightly, "Don't worry, he won't get too far."

Scott ran feeling a surge of joy when he saw the Slayer and her vampire pet lingering over Claire. The faintest twinge of guilt nudged at him but he ignored it, determined to just save himself. As fast as he could he turned onto another street only to hit what felt like a wall with immense force.

Faith grinned ferally, her long black hair shimmering under the street lamp. "Looks like B saved me something," she purred, hefting her stake.

"Don't, please," Scott tried to shuffle away, "I can tell you things! Just let me live."

"G-man?" Faith looked over at the older man curiously, her voice dripping with a deadly sort of eagerness.

Giles kept a careful distance, his glasses gleaming as he smiled grimly. "Talk quickly," he said, "I can't restrain her easily, but I will keep her from killing you if you tell us all you know."

With that he practically babbled, spilling everything he knew about the two vampires that had so suddenly taken over the area. "Well, well," Faith murmured, her eyes faintly disturbed as she yanked Scott to his feet.

"What's wrong?" Giles asked politely.

"He says Drusilla and Amy are running things," Faith said grimly, "Tara's lover was named Amy... and she was killed by a vampire a while back."

"Disturbing," Giles said as he took a stake from Faith and hefted it knowingly.

"Wait," Scott squawked as Giles neared, "you said you weren't going to hurt me!"

"I said Faith wasn't going to hurt you," Giles struck smoothly, "not I." The vampire's outraged expression lingered a moment, then he crumbled to dust.

"Not bad, G-man," Faith said as they walked towards where they figured Buffy and Willow would be, "I didn't know you had it in you."

"Thank you," Giles said dryly, "I think."

"No prob," Faith smirked.

As they neared they could hear Buffy quizzing the female vampire, playing bad cop to Willow's good one. "Just tell me where they are or I'll..." Buffy growled threateningly.

Willow gave Claire a sympathetic look as she tugged Buffy back, almost as if they were both just vampires caught up in events outside of their control. "If you help I might be able to slip you away," she offered, "save you from the Slayer."

"Good news guys," Faith called as they neared, "the other vamp sang like a bird.. we know the local vamps are being led by two female vamps named Drusilla and Amy."

"That little weasel," Claire breathed out, eyes glowing blood red a moment.

Buffy hefted her stake with deadly intent as she purred, "Does that mean we don't need this one any more?"

"It's likely the information on the vampiresses will be available through the Watcher's council," Giles conceded, "we don't need her for that."

"Last chance," Willow said gently to Claire, "give me something good I can use to save you."

Claire looked up at her, her expression momentarily indecisive, then decided to try to save her own life. "The Mistresses... are in a cavern beneath the high school," she revealed.

Giles looked shocked, "There is a vampire warren so close?"

Claire nodded, "Once it belonged to the Master, then it stood empty until his death. Only the most powerful vampires will dare claim it."

"How do we get in?" Faith asked eagerly.

"Tunnels connect it to the sewers, but they are well guarded," Claire said with a defeated air, "you will be destroyed if you attack."

"Oh, I think we'll figure out a way," Buffy exchanged a grin with Willow.

"The mistresses will destroy you," Claire burst out, "Drusilla has unearthly gifts of vision, and despite her youth Amy commands powers of magic!"

"Magic?" Faith asked, dropping her voice.

"I wasn't there myself," Claire conceded, "but I've heard how Amy made Dru's last lover bust into flames when Spike grew jealous of the two of them."

"Sounds like a challenge," Willow murmured.

"You're both fools... you're already as good as dead, you just don't know it yet," Claire said softly, eyes burning with hatred.

Faith met Buffy's eyes in silent agreement then she said, "I think we're done." Swiftly Faith hauled Claire up then struck with a wooden stake, driving it home and turning the stunned vampire into a swirling cloud of dust.

Without a word the group headed out, staying close together and ready to strike. "I'll messenger the Watchers about any details on Drusilla," Giles said briskly.

"Makes sense," Buffy nodded, "do we know anything about this Amy?"

"According to her Amy is a young or newly made vampire," Giles noted as they passed the bronze and headed towards the school.

"Which doesn't mean she's going to be a pushover," Faith added.

"You're being all moody suddenly," Buffy looked at her lover worriedly.

"Just wondering if one of my past sins has finally come back to haunt me," Willow shrugged a bit uncomfortably.

"Huh?" all three looked at her in surprise then growing awareness.

"Shortly after I was turned by the Master I attacked the coven, killing and infecting many," Willow said flatly. "One of my victims was a witch named Amy," she looked haunted, "who was particularly gifted in using fire."

"The name could be a coincidence," Buffy offered tentatively.

"Probably isn't, though," Faith said softly. She winced, "I wish I didn't have to tell Tara..."

"I could," Giles volunteered uncomfortably.

"Thanks, G-man, but I'd better," Faith sighed. "Though I have no idea how to tell my girlfriend that her dead former girlfriend is maybe now the head of the city's vamps."

To be continued...


	22. Chapter 21

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Slayer and Shadow

Part Twenty-one

"I'm so sorry," Faith said to her softly after they finished explaining, her dyed black hair falling into her eyes.

Tara leaned against the bar of the Bronze, her face pale in the artificial light. Closed for the night the bar had a sad look, chairs tucked away beneath tables and most of the lights turned off. "You mean to tell me that my dead girlfriend is the enemy?" she asked weakly.

"We can't be a hundred percent sure," Buffy admitted after a moment, "but the coincidence is pretty startling."

Willow spoke up for the first time since they entered the Bronze after returning from their nightly patrol, her expression unusually reserved, "How many other witches named Amy have been attacked by vampires?"

"Don't you dare speak of her," Tara's head jerked up to meet Willow's gaze, pure hatred shining in her eyes.

"Tara," Mrs. Carpenter cautioned softly.

Looking away from her teacher Tara scowled and said, "Amy wouldn't even BE a vampire if not for her!"

"She didn't have a soul then..." Buffy started.

Willow reached out to put a gentle hand on her arm, "No, Buffy." Looking over to where Giles stood she said, "I'll leave." Before anything else could be said she was off, her long leather jacket swirling around her as she left.

"Oooh, dissed!" Dawn murmured softly from where the younger woman was sitting cross legged on a table nearby.

"Dawn," Faith growled.

"Alright, what else do we know?" Giles asked with a tired sigh, running his hand through his thinning hair.

Buffy frowned at him but controlled her temper. "You were there," she said, "Dru and Amy, and BOTH seem to have powers."

"Jenny, what was Amy good at, witchcraft wise?" Giles asked.

"She was very good with fire, Rupert," Jenny conceded that point, "and also had some healing magics, too."

"That makes a certain kind of sense," Giles acknowledged.

"How so?" Faith asked, holding Tara's hand comfortingly.

Giles took off and polished his glasses absent mindedly as he said, "The information I could get quickly from other watchers states that Dru was mentally ill... it could be that Amy was able to heal that, to some extent."

"So Amy's the powerhouse of the two?" Dawn asked innocently.

"No," Faith said, "records say Dru is over a hundred years old... not too old for a vamp, but not a kid either."

"Do we know who made this Dru?" Buffy asked, mildly curious.

"Not yet," Giles said, "but I have a records request on it's way to the watcher's council. We should hear back in a few days."

"Your council needs to get out of the dark ages," Jenny sighed, "using a online database and email would save so much time."

"There are traditions," Giles frowned.

"Bunch of old men afraid of a new era," Jenny rolled her eyes.

Faith wondered why they were arguing about that now when she noticed the faintly amused smile on Tara's face. Obviously she was used to these two arguing over this, and the young woman drew some comfort from the familiarity.

"We doing anything else tonight?" Buffy asked with a frown.

"I think we're done for now, B," Faith said with a sigh, looking questioningly over to Giles and Jenny.

"Indeed," Giles agreed.

"Then I'm going to go check on my girlfriend," Buffy said coldly. "Dawn, you want to stay with Giles or Jenny tonight?"

"Hey," Dawn protested, "not the geezers!"

"I'm not that old," Jenny looked offended.

"Come on, then," Buffy said as they left.

"G-man?" Faith raised her eyebrow questioningly.

"You can have the rest of the night off," Giles agreed, "it's close enough to dawn anyway." He looked at Jenny, "May I escort you home?"

Jenny reached out to pat his arm, "In a moment." she walked over to Tara's side, "Are you going to be all right?"

Tara smiled faintly, "I think so... it's just a lot to digest."

Jenny looked at Faith, "Keep a eye on her?"

"Always," was Faith's confident answer.

"I don't need watching," Tara sniffed.

"Do it just to make your teacher feel better?" Jenny smiled up at her as she batted her eyes innocently.

Tara's lips quirked upward unwillingly into a smile as she said, "You know how silly you look doing that?"

Jenny looked impish as she explained, "Well, it makes Giles do whatever I want so I figured it was worth a shot."

Faith shuddered, "Oooh, TMI!"

"TMI?" Giles blinked.

"Too much information," Faith explained with a roll of her eyes.

"You two have a good night," Jenny said as she and Giles left.

Faith hesitated, then put her arm around Tara's shoulders. Apparently it was the right thing to do as Tara relaxed against her, looking up at her with a wounded smile. "Sometimes," Tara sighed, "I wonder if the goddess has a sick sense of humor."

"No argument from me," Tara sighed, thinking of some of the bizarre things she had seen over the years.

"Thank you for telling me about Amy," Tara said to her softly, "it was better hearing it from you, somehow."

"I thought about asking Giles to do it," Faith admitted, "but he'd be all nervous cleaning his glasses, then probably need some tea."

Tara laughed unwillingly, "You're so bad."

"Thanks," Faith grinned.

"Hey, Wills," Buffy smiled as they turned a corner to find Willow waiting for them.

"Everything all right in there?" Willow asked as she kissed Buffy gently.

"Hmm," Buffy sighed once Willow released her. "Wait until we hear back from the Watchers is the current plan," she reported.

"Could you two possibly be more mushy?" Dawn rolled her eyes in the way only a embarrassed teenager could.

Buffy laughed, "Well, would you rather watch Giles and Jenny making goo-goo eyes at each other?"

"Oh, barf," Dawn shuddered.

"I'm sorry Tara acted like that," Buffy said softly.

"No, it's all right," Willow shook her head, a determined look in her eye. "We all know what I was, and it's not going away."

"Maybe, but you aren't like that now," Buffy squeezed her hand gently as she said, "that counts for a lot."

"Thanks," Willow kissed her once more.

Dawn sighed, "Looks like I'm staying in my room with the mp3 player tonight."

To be continued...


	23. Chapter 22

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Slayer and Shadow

Part Twenty-two

There was a wet sound as the creature's bones broke, the green scailly monster reeling back in surprise. Before it could recover Willow raced in close, the sword the red-brown haired vampiress wielded gleaming as she cut deeply into the inhuman flesh.

"Here comes some more of them," Willow said fiercely, her long black leather coat swirling around her as she saw the things scrambling out of the filthy wreck of a building.

"So these things were building a nest?" Buffy asked, the butchy blonde kicking out to drop another of the hideous things, wincing a bit at the foul smell wafting off them. It was almost enough to make you gag.

"If they're given the chance," Giles agreed, puffing slightly as he pushed up his glasses on his nose then swung at another one of the beasts. His axe sent the thing reeling, then Faith moved in to finish it off.

"G-Man, be more careful," Faith noted, her brown hair flowing as she pulled the pike from the creature's chest.

"Thank you," Giles sighed.

"I'm so glad Dawn is off with Miss Calendar," Buffy sighed as they decapitated another of the lurching things, "at least she's out of trouble."

"Why do I think you're going to regret saying that?" Willow asked wryly, gracefully moving to back up Faith.

The sound of a fire alarm wailed as Jenny Calendar calmly hosed down the oven with the fire extinguisher, the foam spraying everywhere. "Sorry," Dawn sighed from where she stood nearby, the young lady looking rather sheepish.

"It's all right," Jenny said as she casually tossed the fire extinguisher aside, "we'll just have to get take out for tonight." She gave Dawn a thoughtful look as she asked her, "You've never made a cake?"

"No, not really," Dawn admitted sheepishly. "Usually it was just my dad's girlfriends cooking for us."

"Well, I'll see what I can do about teaching you," Jenny said as she opened the windows to let some of the smoke out.

"Thank you," Dawn smiled shyly. A pause, "I wanted to make a treat for Buffy, since she does so much to take care of me..."

"I make Giles brownies as a treat," Jenny winked ay her impishly as she continued briskly, "I can relate."

Ah CHOO! Giles suddenly sneezed, blinking in surprise as his glasses nearly fell right off of his face.

"Heads up!" Buffy moved to block the creature's swinging claws, then lunged forward to slice at it with her blade.

"Dreadfully sorry," Giles apologized to her even as he took up his axe and beheaded it, gore splattering his clothes.

"You okay?" Faith asked.

"I'm fine," Giles reassured them, puffing tiredly. "I never quite realized how out of shape I am," he confessed.

Willow glided over, the corpses of the nest of creatures scattered on the road all around them. "Maybe Faith and Willow can take you jogging," she said dryly, her eyes twinkling with concealed amusement.

"Oh lovely," Giles sighed as he shook himself, leaning up against the wall. "This is the last nest?" he asked them.

"According to the source Wills and I shook down, yes," Buffy agreed, picking up a ragged piece of cloth and cleaning her blade.

"Remind me to hit the bars with you guys one time," Faith noted, "beating up minor demons sounds like fun."

"Tara all right?" Willow asked her quietly, noting the absence of the other woman on their hunting expedition.

"Working," Faith gave a faintly pained look, "I think she's trying very hard not to think about Amy."

"Can't really blame her," Giles admitted, taking off his glasses and cleaning them with a handkerchief from his pocket. "You don't think she'd do anything foolish?" he asked mildly, looking at Faith with concern.

"If we knew where to find Amy and Dru I'd be worried," Faith admitted, "but since we don't, she should be fine."

"Jenny's keeping an eye on her too, in a motherly sort of way," Willow noted, her expression unusually closed. Not that it wasn't understandable, considering that her actions as a soulless vampire had been the cause of their current situation.

"Don't start with that," Buffy elbowed Willow not so gently in the ribs.

"Heh," watching them Giles felt himself smiling slightly. As much as the Watcher wanted to maintain his initial suspicion of the reformed vampiress, more and more he had been won over by her various noble actions.

"I just wish I knew how these things got here," Faith frowned as she looked back at the now dissolving green corpses.

"They aren't native, no," Giles conceded, "I'll have to look into it."

Meanwhile, in a cavern far beneath the city two women watched catlike as their minion finished their report, "...then the Cenobites were all killed," the young man sighed.\

"All of them?" Amy sat up, the sexy blonde looking indignant.

"All four nests," the vampire boy confessed.

"And we went to such trouble getting them here, too," Dru pouted, her dark colored hair a glittering wave. She gave him a look, "I'm very disappointed, Jesse."

Jesse took a half step backwards, "Ma'am...?"

"May I?" Amy asked.

"Please do," Dru sat back with a cat-like smile.

Amy gestured, a inhuman word ripped from her lips and Jessie cried out before flames consumed him, in moments leaving only charred ashes in his wake. "Clean that up," she coldly ordered another vamp as she lay back on the bed she shared with Dru.

"Of course," he bowed.

"Did anyone catch that human vampire hunter?" Dru asked irritably.

Another vampire, his skin glossy black purred, "Of course ma'am. You know you can rely on Mr Trick." He dragged the struggling woman forward, tossing her at their feet, "All wrapped and ready to go."

"Hmmph," the gagged, reddish brown haired woman made a incoherent sound as she hit the ground, her hunter's gear tattered and torn.

"Ungag her," Amy ordered Trick, watching the man cruelly tear the gag away.

"You'll...," the woman gasped, "never get away with this!"

"Why is it they always say things like that?" Dru asked the others dryly, "We've already gotten away with it."

"Who are you, little hunter?" Amy asked, turning her almost hypnotic gaze on her.

"Justine Cooper," the young woman reluctantly said.

"Cooper?" Dru blinked, "We have a Cooper."

A slow smile spread across Amy's lips, "Someone, go get Julia."

A few moments later a young woman appeared from the tunnels, almost a mirror image except for seeming to be younger. "Justine," she cried as the smiling woman hurried over to the bound woman's side.

"Julia?" Justine whispered, looking at her twin in shock.

"I'm here to help you," Julia whispered as she knelt by her side.

"But you're a vampire?" Justine sounded justifiably confused as Julia gently pulled her to her feet.

Julia smiled, "It doesn't matter."

Justine pulled her close, tears in her eyes, "Oh, I'm so glad you're back."

"Me too," Julia sighed as she pressed her body close, opened up her mouth then bit down on Justine's neck.

"I love a happy ending," Dru said with a smirk as they watched one sister eagerly drain the life from another.

"Why...?" Justine managed.

"Don't worry," Julia purred as she bent to kiss her sister with bloody lips, "in a few days, we'll be together forever."

To be continued...

Notes: Justine Cooper was a vampire hunter from the Angel series, who lost her sister to a vampire attack.


	24. Chapter 23

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Slayer and Shadow

Part Twenty-three

Tara smiled to herself grimly as the brown haired women finished her work, her thoughts whirling about restlessly. Dressed in a casual style with a leather jacket, jeans and blouse she looked like any other woman in the Bronze, but beneath the surface she was far, far different.

"Well," the faintly accented voice said, "you've been looking for me, I hear."

"Doyle," Tara looked up, flashing a faint smile.

The black haired man was thin, almost tired looking as he walked up, but his smile was honestly friendly. "Been awhile, Tara," he said, his Irish accent thickening a bit.

"Too long," Tara took his hand and shook it. Dropping her voice a bit as she led him up to the bar she asked, "Are you still in LA?"

"Ya, along with Angel's crew," Doyle admitted, "mighty big shoes to fill but I'm doing my best at it."

"I can imagine," Tara admitted, thinking of the things she had heard about the ensouled vampire before his final death.

"I'm lucky I have Gunn," Doyle mused, "along with Caridad, Fred and the others Angel trained." He shook himself, "But enough about all that, you wouldn't have called me up without a good reason."

"Yeah," Tara sighed, pouring them both beers. Passing him one she said, "You remember Amy, right?"

"Nice kid," Doyle agreed, "I was sorry when I heard..."

"Well, she's not a nice kid any more," Tara took a drink, "she's a vampire."

"Crap," Doyle murmured softly, closing his eyes. He took a slug of his beer then asked, "Has anyone managed to stake her?"

"No," Tara shook her head bleakly, "we can't even find her. Do you think your visions could help us?"

Doyle swirled the beer around in his glass uncomfortably. "If I haven't had a vision yet," he confessed, "I'm probably not going to. The Powers send the visions for their own reasons, not ones we usually understand."

"Damn," Tara sighed.

"I can put the word out through my contacts," Doyle offered gently, "if anyone in Sunnydale is doing business with the baddies in LA, I can find out."

"Thank you," Tara made herself smile, "and maybe we can borrow some muscle later, if we need it?"

"Heh," Doyle smiled as he patted her hand, "call, and we'll come running."

Just then the door to the Bronze crashed open, two struggling figures falling to the clean floor as they struggled hard. "Oh hell," Tara growled, moving to stop them then blinking as she realized both seemed human and one was her girlfriend.

"Hi honey," Faith managed as she head butted, the other woman, "sorry I'm late."

"Damn it Gwen," Doyle burst out, his accent thickening with anger and surprise,"wha' the 'ell are you doin'?"

"You know her?" Faith blinked, relaxing her hold on the other woman.

The black haired young woman also stopped struggling, blinking a bit sheepishly. "You know her, boss?" Gwen asked.

"Yes I know her," Doyle growled, "she's the Slayer, damn it!"

Gwen instantly released her grip on Faith and gave her a weak smile, "Ooops?"

"What's going on?" Tara asked as she offered Faith a hand up.

"I saw little miss leather here," Faith gestured, "hanging out outside the bar, and figured she was up to no good."

"The name is Gwen Raiden," she said frostily, "and I was keeping a eye on the place in case this was some kind of trap for Doyle." She sniffed, "Wolfram and Hart would love to capture or kill a link to the Powers that Be,"

"Raiden?" Faith sniffed, "tell me you were born with that name, babe."

Gwen glared at her, "None of your business."

All around them the bar continued it's business, one of the waitresses up behind the bar filling in. If you lived in Sunnydale any period of time you got used to a certain degree of oddness, and two sexy ladies cat fighting barely made anyone bat an eye.

"Play nice," Doyle said, his eyes flaring a bit as he fought to control his demon side. Gentling his tone he looked at Tara, "Sorry for my partner's over enthusiasm. She's usually better house broken than this."

"Hey!" Gwen protested.

"Well, Faith could have asked rather than jump her," Tara conceded, "so I figure we're pretty much even."

"Humph," Faith pouted a bit.

"It's been good to see you," Doyle shook Tara's hand, "and if I do hear of anything, I'll let you know soonest."

"And if there's anything I or the coven can do, let us know," Tara promised.

After the two left Faith smiled wryly at Tara, "Forgive me for embarrassing you in front of your friend?"

Tara chuckled softly, "It's all right, love."

"So," Faith asked as they headed up to the bar, "who is he?"

"Allen Doyle," Tara said as they sat down on the bar stools, "he's a seer, a half demon who's been granted visions of the future by the Powers that Be."

"Damn," Faith blinked as she signaled for a drink and a refill for Tara.

"Before Angel came to Sunnydale to face the Master they worked together," Tara said, "organizing a LA band of monster fighters that's still going strong. The Coven here has helped them at times too."

"Which explains how you know him," Faith agreed. She looked at Tara with a sad smile, "Please don't do anything without telling me, please?"

"I'll try," Tara promised, "but if I get a shot at finding Amy and no one's around, I may have to go for it."

"Remind me to get a beeper or something," Faith sighed.

"If you two get much more sappy," the waitress noted as she hurried by to fill a customer's order, "I may be ill."

"It's so hard to find good help," Tara said wryly.

Meanwhile, in the formerly deserted mansion the Summers clan and Willow called home, the usual evening rising activities were taking place. "If you have to do that," Dawn summers complained good naturedly, "could you at least not do it in front of the fireplace where I could see you two?"

"We're sorry," Willow sighed as she drank carefully from a mug of pigs blood that Giles had dropped off earlier that day.

"I think I've been traumatized for life," Dawn shuddered.

"We feel for your trauma," Buffy said as she got out the makings for dinner from the fridge, "but I am still not increasing your allowance."

"Aww," Dawn pouted.

Willow shook her head, smiling a red-tinted smile. "You two scare me at times," she noted, yawning a bit.

"Coffee?" Buffy offered.

"Doesn't do anything for me now," Willow admitted, "though I do still like the taste."

"Just don't use the same mug," Dawn made a face, "that'd be just ewww."

"Giles'll be coming over later," Buffy noted, "try not to give him too much grief, okay?"

"Would I do that?" Dawn tried to look innocent.

"Very easily," Buffy said, "I'm well aware of how you set the kitchen on fire."

"Well, at least it was while trying to make you a cake," Willow had to point out.

"True," Buffy smiled.

"I thought Miss Calendar magicked the whole mess away once we got the fire out?" Dawn blinked.

"I'm sort of sensitive to the whole magic thing," Willow confessed a bit shyly, "trust me, I could tell."

"Damn," Dawn sighed, "there goes one way I thought I could use to get away with stuff."

"You're a teenager," Buffy noted, "you'll figure out something." She smiled slightly, thinking back to all the times she had outwitted her old watcher. 'Better be careful about encouraging her,' she thought.

"Buffy, dinner," Willow warned, getting up to move a saucepan off the heat. 'Guess burning food is a family thing,' she chuckled mentally,

To be continued...


	25. Chapter 24

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Slayer and Shadow

Part Twenty-four

Vampires burned easily, especially if you used the right methods. The team had trapped the vampires in the wrecked building, made sure anyone innocent was clear, then proceeded to torch the place. Only a few attempted to break out, and the rising sun did them in as efficiently as the fire would have.

"I love it when a plan comes together," Buffy Summers noted, her short blonde hair falling around her face.

"Don't start quoting the 'A-team' please." Faith said dryly, holding her crossbow at the ready in case any more vamps ran out, "or I may have to kill you." She paused, "Or start in the quotes myself."

"Besides," Tara noted calmly, a bit of a amused twinkle in her eyes as the slightly heavy-set witch put away the spell casting materials that she used to start the fire, "wouldn't that line be more suited to Giles?"

Rupert Giles pushed up his glasses, a frown on his face as he said, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Staying in the shade of a nearby building Willow chuckled as she said, "You're probably better off not knowing."

"I pity the fool," Faith added, chuckling.

"Oooh, you with a mohawk?" Buffy winced, "Bad mental image."

"Could we maybe keep our minds on business?" Giles rolled his eyes discreetly.

"Yes, sir," Willow chuckled softly.

A few moments later there was a sudden crash as a desperate vamp burst out of the flames, his body wreathed in fire. "You won't get Trick that easy," he started before being cut off by a hail of crossbow bolts and a quickly chanted spell.

"Wanna bet?" Tara noted, feeling a certain amount of... regret.

What they were doing out here this morning was, in essence, sending a warning to Amy and her girlfriend, Drusilla, a warning they weren't even sure was going to work. However, since they still had very little idea of the two vampire's ultimate intentions, this was the best move they could make so far.

"We'll find them," Faith said quietly as she squeezed Tara's shoulder comfortingly, "it'll just take some time."

Tara smiled back as she gently kissed Faith, "I know."

"Well," Buffy said briskly, "are we finished, you think?"

Giles pushed up his glasses as the flames began to die down without much of anything to burn. "Only a exceptional vampire could survive this long," he noted, "and there's no sign of movement. Do you sense anything, Willow?"

Willow stood in the shadows, her eyes closed a moment as she let her vampiric senses and other mental gifts sweep outward. Finally she looked up, "I'm not picking up anything Giles. I think they're done."

"Good," Buffy sighed, "they're reopening the high school today, and I want to walk there with Dawn on her first day."

"Aww," Faith teased, "isn't that special."

"Faith," Tara gave her lover a gently scolding look, seeing the actual worry in Buffy's eyes. Sending your little sister to school was hard enough, sending her off in a hellmouth haunted city like this would be more so.

"Sorry, B," Faith sighed.

"It's all right," Buffy flashed a slight smile as she said, "at least I know someone will be watching over her."

"Oh?" Tara blinked.

"Miss Calendar is starting as their computer studies teacher," Buffy said with some amusement, "though how a witch got into computers is beyond me."

"Jenny is a techno-pagan, I believe," Giles said just a bit stiffly. He sighed, "I suppose I had best go get ready, too."

"You're working too, G-man?" Faith asked with a grin.

"I suppose you've heard," Giles agreed, "I've been rehired as the Librarian, now that the building has mostly been rebuilt."

"So, are we going to have problems getting a hold of you during school hours?" Buffy had to ask him.

"I don't think so," Giles noted, "I think you and Faith could pass as students." He paused, "A bit scruffy students, but passable."

"Hey!" both Faith and Buffy protested.

"Come on love," Willow called with a soft chuckle, "we'd better get going back to the mansion. I bet Dawn's having kittens at this point."

"Good luck," Tara called as both girls headed out.

Traveling the tunnels beneath the city wasn't terribly pleasant, but in fact it was faster than the roads and safer... at least, safer for a vampire slayer and her vampire companion. The few unaffiliated vamps knew not to bother them, and the ones connected to the two Queens had learned the hard way not to cross them.

"Here we go," Willow casually moved aside the massive stone block in their basement that connected to the tunnels.

Buffy hopped up gracefully, "Thanks, love."

As both hurried upstairs they found Dawn pacing the living room, her long brown hair swishing around her. "Giles keep you late again?" she asked.

"Sorry," Willow said as Buffy hurried off to shower and change into something not smelling of fire, ash and blood. She sat in the dimly lit room as she gently asked Dawn, "Are you ready for this?"

"Yeah, I think so," Dawn agreed, "you guys and Giles help me get school supplies, and I'm bringing a wooden stake just in case."

"Wearing a cross too?" Willow asked.

Dawn pulled it out from under her t-shirt, "Yeah, though I worry the locals will think I'm a holy roller or something."

"Trust me," Willow said dryly, "considering this town's reputation, I bet almost everyone will be wearing them."

"She's got that right," Buffy said as she trotted in dressed in a simple blouse and shirt, her hair still damp from the shower.

"Nice," Dawn conceded, "toning down the butch image a bit?"

"Dawn!" Buffy frowned.

"What, you don't think jeans and t-shirts all day isn't butch?" Dawn asked pointedly.

"I wouldn't get into that argument, love," Willow said before Buffy could start. She smiled, "Besides, you two can fight it out on your way there."

"Right," Buffy admitted as she and Dawn headed to the door. "I'll be back in a few hours, tops," she called as they left.

"I'll be waiting," Willow answered as she yawned slightly. Getting up she made her way back to her and Buffy's bedroom, laying down in the dark for a nap. 'Hope those two don't get into too much trouble,' she smiled as she lay down.

The street was bright and the sun shown down, the city looking oddly innocent in the summer daylight. Of course the years long rampage of the Master had left scars if you knew where to look, one of the biggest being the vampire attacks that had closed the highschool shortly before Buffy arrived. Now, in a brave move the city was reopening the school for the decidedly nervous population.

"Nice looking building," Dawn finally murmured as they reached the school itself.

Buffy studied it, thinking a moment about her years hunting vampires without home or roots. "It's a school," she smiled slightly, "but yeah, it's not too bad."

Dawn hesitated a moment, "Do you think it's going to be safe?"

"With Miss Calendar and Giles there?" Buffy smiled, trying to project confidence. "From what I understand Miss Calendar's also fixed up a kind of defense around the school to keep vampires out, too," she added.

"Which just leaves all the other critters out there," Dawn noted wryly.

Buffy squeezed her shoulder, "You've got a cellphone and my number. You spot anything odd, call me."

Dawn smiled up at her, "Thanks."

"All right folks," the tall black skinned man smiled as he guided students to the doors, "no loitering please. Classes start soon."

"I'll pick you up after class," Buffy murmured as she hugged Dawn.

Dawn chuckled, "Thanks mom."

To be continued...


	26. Chapter 25

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Slayer and Shadow

Part Twenty-five

"Damn them!" Amy snarled, the blonde in full vamp-face as the slim young woman ripped the stuffing out of a fine old chair. The house they were staying in belonged to a upper class man with a thing for streetwalkers and not enough brains to check his dates for fangs. Now he lay rotting in the basement, and Dru and Ami had the run of the place.

Dru was sitting back, her dark hair flowing down her back, dressed in a gothic style for her own amusement. "Did we lose Trick too?" she ask her lieutenant, her black gloved hands languid yet strangely deadly.

Justine and Julia Cooper, the lovely reddish brown haired twins, gave each other nervous looks as Julia said, "Yes, ma'am, though I understand Trick lasted longer than most."

Amy ground her teeth, then closed her eyes. "Go, now," she ordered coldly, watching with fury in her eyes as the two vampires fled. With a muffled curse she gestured to the fireplace and willed it to burn, flames roaring to life to match her fury.

"I'm surprised you didn't burn them both," Dru noted as she came up behind Amy and kissed her neck lingeringly.

Amy moaned softly, tilting her head back at that familiar touch. "If I start to kill the bringers of bad news," Amy said, "they'll stop telling me the truth."

"True," Dru let her hands rise up the black blouse Amy was wearing and cup her breasts, "so what do you want to do about this?"

"I want to kill them all," Amy hissed softly in pleasure as she added, "break their bones and suck the marrow out!"

"That's my beloved," Dru agreed, "but how?"

Amy turned to kiss Dru fiercly, stroking her back then sliding down to cup her ass through her short black skirt. "That's the problem," Amy growled as she nipped at Dru's neck, "those damn slayers are too much for our normal soldiers..."

"Then maybe," Dru cooed softly, "it's time for something a little more unusual?"

Meanwhile, a impromptu debriefing was going on at the Summers household. "God it was boring," Dawn complained as the brown haired girl sat on the couch, "it's like they assumed we forgot everything over summer."

"Some students do," Giles noted mildly, dressed in her suit from working in the library. He pushed up his glasses, "Gave six tours today, and I'll have six more everyday till we finish with every home room."

"I still think it would be easier if you digitized the whole library," Jenny Calendar teased as she sat beside him.

"Not those idiot boxes again," Giles sighed.

"I think the TV is the idiot box," Buffy noted with some amusement.

Willow looked equally amused, "Computers are useful for LOTs of stuff, Giles. I'm surprised you don't use one as a Watcher."

"Ganging up on me?" Giles looked pained.

"Don't look at me," Faith commented from where she sat near the roaring fire, "I've only used one once to find porn."

"Faith!" Tara scolded, the other woman still looking faintly uncomfortable there under the roof of Willow and Buffy.

Dawn giggled, "Gee, that must explain all the guys in the computer labs..."

Jenny shook her head, "Trust me, they're locked out on porn sites."

"Too bad," Buffy murmured.

Willow bapped Buffy gently on the arm, "Be nice."

Tara shook her head, smiling softly. If someone had told her a few months ago she'd be here, sharing laughter with a vampire, she would have called them insane. 'Then again,' Tara conceded, 'Willow is no ordinary vampire.'

Giles took off his glasses, wiping them with a cloth from his pocket. "I hate to bring up business," he said, "but are we patrolling tonight?"

"Willow and I are," Buffy agreed. Her eyes looked impish, "I suppose you teachers better hurry to bed so you're ready for classes tomorrow."

"Are you implying I can't keep up?" Jenny asked, mock offended.

"Well, old folks like you do need your rest," Dawn winked.

"Old?" Giles lifted a offended eyebrow as he put his glasses back on.

"Positively ancient," Faith agreed cheerfully, "why, we might have to bring your walker along on the next patrol."

"Whatever happened to the traditional respect a Watcher gets?" Jenny wondered aloud.

"With this group?" Willow chuckled softly, "Tough luck."

Tara shook her head, smiling. "I think Faith and I will join you," she said a bit more seriously, "just in case."

Giles looked at her curiously, "Do you think there'll be trouble?"

"I've got no premonitions, if that's what you mean," Tara answered him, "I'm just feeling a bit uneasy."

"Better bring extra stakes," Buffy mused.

Later, the four of them ventured out into the night even as they watched Giles and Jenny drive off in Giles' old car. "Think they'll be all right in that beater?" Faith wondered skeptically.

"It may look like a beater," Willow noted as she adjusted her long leather coat to hide her weapons, "but Jenny's enchanted it a great deal."

Tara looked at her in surprise, then reminded herself that Willow had once been a witch. "Yes," she agreed, "a vampire would have to be suicidal to attack them."

THOOM! There was a massive blow, the ground around them rumbljng as they looked around wildly. "Giles?!" Buffy yelped, running up the road.

"Wait damn it," Faith growled, her and willow soon catching up as Tara fell a bit behind. They came around the corner and stumbled a bit, all of them a bit surprised at what waited for them.

"Well," Tara panted, "you don't see that every day."

The troll stood in the middle of the road, his greenish skin clashing with a brown beard and rough leather clothes. He stood nearly a foot taller than the Slayers, and his nearly inhuman body rippled with muscles. In his hand he carried a massive hammer, likely the weapon that had drawn their attention in the first place.

Just beyond him Giles' battered green car was rammed up against a tree but Giles appeared unharmed as he tended to a stunned and lightly bleeding Jenny. He looked up and called, "Buffy, it's a trap!"

"I kind of guessed that," Buffy said as they began to warily space themselves out around their massive foe.

"I am Olaf!" the troll declared, "Now where are you hiding her?!"

"Hiding who?" Willow asked reasonably.

"You know who!" Olaf roared before hammering the earth again, sending a shockwave right through them.

Without even thinking about it Faith drew her crossbow and fired, sending out a steel tipped shaft that glanced off his hard skin. "Well crap," Faith growled.

Tara began to chant, her hands swiftly moving through arcane gestures as she formed a spell. "Adept!" with a single word she released the power, a bolt of force flying from her hands to blast the troll, staggering it.

"Ooof!" Olaf nearly fell backward then grinned, "You must know her! She did things like that too."

Willow swiftly drew a sword from beneath her coat and attacked, swinging at exposed skin beneath the leather armor. 'He's got to have a weak spot somewhere,' she thought grimly, chipping away.

Buffy followed her in carrying a axe, swinging with grim determination. "We don't have whoever you want," she snarled.

"The vampires promised me..." Olaf started, "urk!"

Faith's crossbow bolt soared into his mouth, piercing the soft tissues within and sending blood pouring free. "Willow, now!" Tara yelled.

Swiftly moving in front of the badly wounded troll Willow took her sword in both hands and struck up on an angle with all her vampiric strength, driving it up into the mouth and through the comparetively weaker bones of the inner skull. The troll made a weak sighing noise and collapsed backward, laying still on the deserted road.

"Giles!" Faith ran by the troll to where he sat, carefully cradling Jenny's head in his lap.

"We're fine," Giles said as Tara knelt down to examine Jenny, "trolls regenerate! You've got to destroy the body."

"Tara?" Buffy asked as Willow warily watched over the troll's corpse.

Tara turned Jenny's face and gazed into her eyes before saying, "Looks like a concussion. She should be fine."

"It moved," Buffy warned.

Tara hurried over as she began to chant, summoning her power as she formed the spell in her mind. With a word and gesture the still impaled troll began to burn, blazing brighter and brighter as she fanned the flames. After a moment it was gone, only ashes remaining...

To be continued...


	27. Chapter 27

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Slayer and Shadow

Part Twenty-six

"Well," Faith said tiredly, "that's the first time I've ever killed a troll." The brown haired woman watched the remains burn from a safe distance, "Tough bastard."

"Oww," Jenny Calendar groaned as the others helped her from the wreckage of Giles' car, the older woman still dazed by the impact.

"Hospital?" Buffy asked as the tough blonde looked at Tara.

Tara nodded as the dark brown woman said seriously, "It should just be a concussion, but it's best to be safe."

"Good work, all of you," Giles said, looking at Jenny with gentle concern. He shook himself, "It appears I'll need a lift."

"Just a minute," Faith said briskly as she drew out her cellphone and dialed a number. "Hi," she said, waiting a moment then, "Can you do me a favor? Meet us near the old oak outside of town, thanks."

"Who you calling?" Buffy wondered.

"Devon MacLeish," Faith said as she put the phone away, "he owes Tara for letting his band play at the Bronze. I figure he can drive G-man and Jenny to the hospital."

Buffy picked up something in her voice and she looked at Faith curiously, "You're not coming?"

Faith shrugged as she said, "Someone sent that troll, maybe we still have a chance of back-tracking it."

"Don't let Jenny fall unconscious," Tara advised Giles then nodded to Faith, "She's right. I'll see what I can do about tracking it too."

"Just be careful," Willow murmured grimly.

Not long afterward Giles and Jenny were loaded up into the band's battered van, Tara and the others promising to follow them as quickly as they could. The young intern at the ward quickly confirmed that it was a concussion and that Jenny needed to stay there under observation for a few hours.

"Damn," Buffy frowned as they waited in the ward, "I wish this place was more secure. I keep waiting for a vamp to jump us."

"I know," Willow said grimly as they watched Giles sitting by Jenny's side, "the hospital is a public place, so vampires aren't blocked like they are in a home."

"Wis we knew if Amy had that troll followed," Buffy murmured grimly as she swept the room with her eyes, looking for anything that might indicate a vampire was there.

Willow stood off to one side, her nerves tingling as the scent of blood stirred her vampire instincts. She could fight it, of course, but it still made being here vaguely uncomfortable for the young woman. "Buffy," she said quietly, "do you want us to patrol the area, just in case?"

Buffy thought about it but shook her head no. "If something does happen I want us near Jenny," she answered quietly.

Willow's eyes narrowed in thought as she asked her, "Do you think the vamps are monitoring the hospital?"

"I wouldn't put it past them," Buffy answered honestly.

The next few hours were tense, to say the least. Buffy and Willow moved through the larger ward in turns while Jenny lay resting with Giles by her side, covertly readying themselves for whatever might come. The doctors seemed to consider asking them to leave several times, but while the ladies were frightening they weren't actually doing anything wrong.

The young doctor gulped as Willow gave him a deadly gaze, then concentrated on finishing the exam. "Well, no signs of more serious injury," he managed with false cheer, "I think you can be released."

"Gee, thanks," Jenny smiled wryly as she saw her guardians breath a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness," Giles said as he looked into her eyes, "when you were hurt, I..."

Jenny squeezed the hand she was holding gently as she quietly answered, "I know."

Checking out they exited the building, thanking the gods that the skies were overcast enough for Willow to be out in the day. "We'd better get you home," Willow said, "I'm sure Jenny needs some rest and relaxation right now."

"I phoned the school for you both," Buffy said quietlyas Giles was about to half-heartedly offer to go into work, "they know Jenny's injured and you're taking care of her."

"Thank you," Giles pushed his glasses up tiredly, "I should have thought of that."

"Hey," Buffy smiled at him comfortingly even as she warily watched their surroundings, "being attacked rattles everyone."

"Speaking of attacks," Willow said as they boarded Devon's borrowed van once more, "where are the vamps?"

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth," Jenny said dryly as they set off for Giles' home.

"I'd better call Dawn too," Buffy sighed as she dug her own phone out, knowing she was going to get a lecture from her little sister too.

"Buffy, where were you!" a rather annoyed Dawn answered her phone after a ring, "I just got home and no one's here."

"Sorry," Buffy sighed, "something came up..."

"Vampire or monster?" Dawn guessed.

"Monster," Buffy said as she informed Dawn of what happened and passed her condolences on to Jenny. "Stay at home and lock up," Buffy ordered, "we might be out for a bit tonight, too."

"I'll have the leftovers," Dawn sighed before they signed off.

The phone rang again and Buffy answered it with a sigh, "Yeah?"

"We found their old hideout, I think," Faith said eagerly, "and it looks like they left in quite a hurry."

"Left a trail?" Buffy guessed.

"Not a great one," Faith conceded, "but I'm hopeful."

"Don't go after them on your own," Giles snatched the phone to say seriously, "we have no idea how many vamps they have made."

"Yes, mother," Faith said with a sigh.

"All right, perhaps that was a bit much," Giles conceded.

"Besides, I'm too busy holding back Tara to do anything stupid," Faith said dryly. Tara's ex-lover Amy had been turned to a vampire several years ago, and her recent rise to prominence in the vampire community was putting quite a strain on Tara. She seemed torn between trying to save Amy and putting her out of her misery...

"Ah," Giles conceded as he passed the phone to Buffy.

"The trail is heading out of town," Faith said to her briskly, "we'll follow as far as we can then phone in."

"Just be careful," Buffy cautioned.

"Always," Faith answered before signing off.

Tara smiled grimly as they skulked along the forested drive, the light of morning begin ng to touch the summer sky. She could nearly feel the passage of magical forces as they walked, what could be best described as a odd tingle behind her eyes.

"Blood on the road," Faith murmured, "they went this way."

"The summoner too," Tara agreed as they walked together. She looked about as she said, "At least they're going to ground soon."

They came around a bend and saw what resembled a English home, with a tall fence and lavish garden. The building was three stories tall with a pointed roof and balconies on the upper floor, and maybe large enough for two families. The only oddity was how all of the windows had been shuttered with paper and other materials applied to the inside of the window sealing off all daylight from outside.

"Vampire central?" Faith guessed as they warily watched from cover.

"The windows are a hint," Tara agreed dryly, "and... there's a aura of death here."

"Let's take a look around," Faith said as they carefully edged around the building, tooking for points of exit and entrance, "then we'd better get out of here."

"We could always just set the building on fire," Tara offered thoughtfully.

"Tempting," Faith conceded, "but there could be human captives." She looked over at Tara and took her hand comfortingly, "I understand you're impatient, love, but we need the whole crew for this."

Tara sighed softly but nodded, "You're right, of course."

Taking some photos with her phone for good measure Faith nodded seriously, "Let's get out of here."

In the shadows the magician watched the two women leave, wondering how his vampire mistresses would react to their coming. 'Either way,' Lindsey McDonald thought as he headed back to the house, 'things are going to be interesting.'

To be continued...


	28. Chapter 28

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Slayer and Shadow  
Part Twenty-six

Lindsey McDonald smiled as he entered what he thought of as the throne room, Amy and Drusilla perched in twin chairs that dominated the room. It was once some rich man's study, but the stuffed animals had been torn down and the boring books were blazing way in the overfilled fireplace. Amy smiled as they listened to their hench vampires report, but a smile didn't mean she wasn't planning something nasty.

"So why didn't you attack them in the hospital?" Amy asked mildly, her blonde hair falling around her pretty face.

Janice Penshaw gulped, the young woman quivering a bit in fear and excitement. Their vampire queens could grant both pain and pleasure, and she didn't know which was coming. "I thought the hospital was too public to...." she said weakly.

Amy narrowed her eyes as her rage flared up and she snarled, "You aren't supposed to think!" Her eyes glowed slightly as she made a tossing gesture with her hand, almost like throwing a invisible ball.

"No, please!" Janice barely managed to get that out before her entire body burst into flames. She howled in agony, staggering a bit, then crumbled to a pile of ash staining the fine rugs that covered the floor.

"I thought you didn't kill messengers?" Drusilla purred as the black haired woman nibbled on Amy's neck.

Amy smiled back at her sexy lover, "Special case." She looked over at the next vampire in line, "Well?"

Katrina Silber gulped but the young woman stepped up bravely. "I ordered one of your vampire bikers to follow them," she said, "we'll have confirmation where they went soon."

"Very good," Drusilla conceded with a smile. "And were any of them attempting to follow us back here?"

"Not that we could tell, ma'am," Katrina answered.

"There was someone or something outside," Lindsey spoke up, his hair falling a little into his eyes, "they were veiled magically."

Amy's eyes narrowed as the vampiress called on her own occult talents, reaching out with her mind. "They're gone now," she sounded disappointed at that, biting her lip till she drew blood.

"Should we take to the sewers?"Katrina asked, tensing a bit.

Drusilla put a hand on Amy's arm, her expression thoughtful. "They don't know that we know they're coming," she noted.

A smile teased Amy's lips as she considered the point, "They think they have us trapped, but we could turn it around."

"Exactly," Drusilla agreed. She looked at Katrina, "Call the human slaves and our lieutenants here. We shall prepare a little surprise for the Slayers and their friends."

"Will do," Katrina nodded as she eagerly hurried off.

Amy looked up at Lindsey, "Can we count on your support?"

"Wolfram and Hart sent me to assist you," Lindsey bowed slightly, "I am at your service."

Amy gave him a suspicious look but nodded, "Thank you, mage. You may go."

Bowing again Lindsey made his way out of the room, walking through the deserted mansion till he found a unoccupied room. Locking the door and opening the shutters he filled the room with morning light, effectively blocking any vampire from getting in. Briskly he drew his cellphone from his suit coat, his business wear as neat as ever.

"Wolfram and Hart, reception," Harmony's usual bubbly voice answered.

"This is Lindsey," he said flatly, "put me through to Morgan."

"Yes sir," Harmony said cheerfully. "We've missed you around the office, sir. Are you going to be gone much longer?"

'Not too much," Lindsey answered, wondering why the head of Special Operations kept such a ditz on the payroll. Still, she was a fairly deadly vampire and could put up a token defense of her office.

"Here you go," Harmony said happily, "have a nice day."

"Lindsey," Lilah Morgan answered with a false sort of cheer, "how's the assignment?"

Lindsey fought to not roll his eyes, having no idea if Lilah had hacked his camera phone. "Not as well as could be expected," he conceded.

"Oh?" Lilah asked, a frown evident in her voice.

'I knew I should have become a lawyer,' Lindsey thought bitterly, 'magic just isn't enough leverage.' Aloud he said, "We're dealing with a homicidal vampiress, Lilah. I can't just bag and tag her then ship her off to the senior partners."

"The senior partners want to know how a vampire can have those extra abilities," Lilah said seriously, "I do not intend to disappoint them by not acquiring her."

"I'm doing all I can," Lindsey answered stiffly. "It doesn't help that she and Drusilla are planning some kind of all or nothing fight with the Slayers."

Lindsey could hear the soft sound of Lilah grinding her teeth then she said, "Do whatever you have to and keep her alive. My promotion depends on it."

"Yes, ma'am," Lindsey drawled just before she hung up.

With a soft curse Lindsey stuffed his phone away, wishing he was back in LA. As much of a pain Alonna Gunn and her gang of do-gooders were, at least they were a familiar pain. Not to mention he hadn't had the chance to play his guitar in days....

"Uh, sir?" a voice called from within the house.

With a soft curse Lindsey closed the shutters once more, lighting the room in only artificial light. He opened the door with his most forbidding expression, "Yes?"

The young woman paled and stepped back, making Lindsey feel bad. The clearly human woman said nervously, "This mistresses want you to put up a barrier around the house, to slow them down."

"I see," Lindsey relaxed a bit, giving the woman a charming smile. "Sorry to frighten you," he said mildly, "I find I have to be firm with the vampires."

The little redhead smiled back tentatively, "I guess so."

"Have you had anything to eat?" Lindsey charmed her in a well practiced way, "We could share something."

"We could?" the little redhead said nervously. She smiled weakly, "I'd like that."

"And maybe you could help me out later, too," Lindsey added conversationally as they headed to the kitchen.

"Really?" she asked, already seemingly caught up in his charm.

"In fact," Lindsey said, "I think you'll be essential."

Later, Lindsey was humming to himself as he curcled the house, a bowl from the kitcken in his arms. With care he splashed the drops of blood as he circled the house, muttering the words of the enchantment softly. Of course you didn't need human blood for the spell but it was more powerful and effective this way. Besides, that silly twit had plenty of it inside her.

"Well my dear," Lindsey murmured as he reached the end of the circle, "you were a big help to me." A final chanted word and he closed the barrier, generating a enchanted wall that sealed them off from the outside world.

One of the vampires crouched over the girl smiled as Lindsey reentered the house. "Thanks for leaving us this snack," he said, lapping at where Lindsey had sliced the girl's throat open right open.

"You're welcome," Lindsey said flatly as he walked to the fridge, opening it up to see if there was anything edible. He didn't know why, but seeing vampires feeding like that just made him hungry.

One of the vampire concubines that Amy and Drusilla kept around hovered at the door, her languid eyes fixed on Lindsey. "Why?" she asked softly.

"Why what?" Lindsey asked as he got out a salad and light dressing. Got to eat right to keep in good shape.

"Why kill her?" the young woman with light blonde hair asked, looking at him intently.

Lindsey thought about it as he stepped over the corpse and began to prepare his bowl of salad. "Why not?" he shrugged, "If she stayed around here any length of time Amy or Dru would kill her, not to mention all their henchmen." He nodded casually towards the corpse, "At least my way she served a purpose."

The little vampiress studied him unblinkingly for a moment then smiled. "You may be human," she noted softly, "but you're just as much a monster as we are."

A muscle on Lindsey's jaw jumped as he tightened it, but he kept his expression blank. "Whatever gets you through the day," he said flatly as he began to eat.

To be continued....


	29. Chapter 29

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Slayer and Shadow

Part Twenty Eight

"Three story house," Faith recited as she stood in the middle of Buffy's home, "looked sorta English. Has a old fashioned steel fence, but the garden and trees will provide some cover to get near the building. There are balconies on the second floor we could use to get in, but every window is covered with paper so we don't know the interior layout."

"Huh," Buffy nodded thoughtfully, the dirty blond noting things from the photo's Faith had taken with her phone, including possible avenues of attack. She looked over at Tara as she asked, "What do you think?"

Tara frowned as she considered what to say. "There was a certain aura of magic around the place," she told them, "but I didn't feel any specific magic defenses."

"Which doesn't mean there won't be any," Willow mused. "I don't think Amy summoned up a troll on her own."

"True," Tara admitted, "in fact, that was very high level summoning magic. They would almost have to have a magic user assisting them."

"Willing, or a captive?" Buffy speculated.

Rupert Giles returned from where he had been caring for Jenny Calendar, the older man looking tired but relieved. "I would suspect willing," he noted thoughtfully, "there are very few ways you can force a mystic."

"Not that won't bite you on the ass later," Faith noted. You could try blackmailing or coercing a mage, she supposed, but any mage powerful enough to be a threat would be powerful enough to hurt you really badly too.

"How's Jenny?" Willow asked quietly.

"Resting comfortably," Giles answered. He smiled faintly, "Thank you for suggesting we move everyone to a central location."

"Seemed safest," Buffy shrugged. She looked around at the group, "So, what do we do now?"

"Go after them," Faith suggested instantly. "We know where they are, we can hit them during a daylight raid."

"Scout out the situation better," Willow surprised them by saying, "we have no idea what else they might have in there. Not to mention the possibility of innocent people...."

"She's... got a point," Tara conceded reluctantly. "There was no way to check for people in the building when we trailed them there...."

"Jenny might be able to acquire the building plans for us," Giles offered, "once she has recovered a bit more."

"I think we should scout the place out by daylight better," Buffy gave Tara a apologetic look, "I know you want to finish this, but I don't want any of us getting hurt or killed charging in there."

"I understand," Tara nodded.

"Buffy," Dawn stuck her head around the corner, "could I borrow Willow? I need help with my homework again."

Willow laughed as she got up, "Be right back."

Faith drank some soda, almost feeling the sun moving across the sky as evening came. Soon the night would fall and it'd be patrol time again. "We'd better be careful tonight," she mused, "if Amy and Dru know we're after them, they'll try something."

"As long as it's not another troll," Giles said with a sigh.

Buffy made a face, "I'm just hoping they don't manage to dig up something worse."

"Now there's a happy thought," Faith groaned. "But we've handled everything they've thrown at us so far...."

"It all depends on how much power they're willing to expend to call up monsters," Tara admitted with a frown.

"Like...?" Buffy asked curiously.

Giles took off his glasses as he thoughtfully mused, "Oh, there are a enormous number of threats they could try to summon. The Bane Sidhe, Satyrs, I don't believe we've faced a minotaur yet, either. It's all quite fascinating."

"There are real minotaurs?" Faith nearly dropped her can of soda.

"Oh yes," Giles nodded eagerly, "almost all of the monsters of mythology are based upon real creatures." He paused, "Suitably whitewashed, of course."

"As in...?" Tara looked curious.

"Most of the humanoid creatures are generally less human than they seem," Giles pointed out. "The purpose of many of them is continuing their species, so...."

"Ewww," Buffy got where he was going very quickly.

"Precisely," Giles agreed. "Thankfully most of those kind of creatures do not breed true, or we'd be overwhelmed with such beasts."

"I hope it's a Slayer's duty to kill these things too," Faith said dangerously.

"Oh, of course," Giles quickly agreed, knowing when he was outnumbered.

"So what's the plan?" Willow asked as she rejoined them, "It's going to be dark soon."

Buffy looked around the group, "For tonight we patrol in force, as a larger group. That way, if they throw something nasty at us we can handle it better."

"Makes sense," Faith agreed.

"And tomorrow morning we check out Amy and Dru's new home," Willow said, "and hopefully find out more."

"Yes," Tara nodded firmly.

Giles looked regretful as he said, "I'll need to stay here to monitor Jenny's condition. However, please stay in touch by cellular phone."

"Yes, Daddy," Buffy teased, enjoying seeing him flush.

Not long afterward they were preforming a sweep of the city, moving from the west side along random side streets. Buffy carried a stake, a axe over her shoulder, while Willow wore a sword concealed under her coat. Faith had stuck with her trusty crossbow, and Tara was hefting a stake while her bag of magic ingredients was ready by her side.

The vampire ambush hit nearby the Bronze, the club closed due to the rise of vampire activity. The six or so vamps swarmed out of an alley, attacking with a feral intensity but the team was ready. "Die!" the vampire leaped, his fangs gleaming as his tattered clothes swirled around him.

"Not today," Buffy smoothly drove the stake into his chest, the vampire's surprised look lasting a second as he crumbled to dust.

"Destroy the traitor!" a female vamp yelled as she lead another against Willow. Smoothly and silently Willow drew her sword, waiting calmly as they neared, then swiftly chopped one's head clean off. Before the other could strike she recovered, turned and swung once more, dusting the other.

Faith and Tara took down the other three, using a combination of magic and Slayer skills. "Well, that was disappointing," Faith noted, "where's the challenge?"

Just then they heard a roar off in the distance. "You had to say it, didn't you?" Tara sighed.

"Sorry," Faith smiled as they took off at a run to find out the source of the inhuman sound.

They swung around a corner only to skid to a stop, all four gazing at the massive lizard thing in shock. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me," Buffy breathed out as it turned a triangular lizard head towards her.

"Is that...?" Tara gulped.

"Yup," Willow looked up at it in awe too, "I really think that's a dragon."

To be continued!


	30. Chapter 30

Slayer and Shadow

Part Thirty

Lindsey McDonald raised his hands as the brown haired mage chanted out away from the house, beyond the protective veil he had erected earlier. His voice rose and hell as he worked the spell, energy dancing and flickering until the gate fully stabilized.

"All right," Lindsey panted as he looked over to the others, "it's up to you now."

"Gods of the outer gates," Amy cried as she and Dru held two struggling humans, "we offer these gifts to you, in exchange for your bounty!" The two vampires toss the people through the gate, their screams cutting off almost as soon as they passed through.

There was a wet, crunching sound in the darkness beyond the gate, and a smell like pure, distilled rot wafted out. Finally a voice boomed out, "WHAT DO YOU WISH OF US?"

Dru smiled cruelly, "We need a powerful servant. One who can kill even a Slayer."

"THE SLAYER?" the voice boomed. "I HAVE FACED HER KIND OF OLD, AND A DEBT OF BLOOD EXISTS BETWEEN US."

"Help us kill her," Amy said, "and we will make her death a lingering one."

"I WILL SEND A SERVANT," the voice agreed, "BUT BEWARE. SUCH POWERS ARE A TWO EDGED SWORD."

The gate fluxed and pulsed, then began to widen as something pushed on it from the other side. Lindsey's eyes narrowed as he gestured, "Everyone, get back!"

With a shudder the gate expanded, swelling from five foot around to nearly ten, and the smell of rot and decay intensified. The massive clawed foot came first then the long, snake-like body, it's wings folded in close to allow passage through the gate. They all looked on in shock and awe as the massive beast looked around, then the dragon's gaze fixed on the humans and vampires.

"Who summons me?" the dragon growled.

"We did," Amy stepped forward, looking up to meet the glowing red eyes with as much confidence as she could muster.

"Little vampire," the dragon smiled, "you have but a little magic. Still, you might have opened the gate, I suppose."

"What do we call you?" Dru asked.

"You could not pronounce my name," the dragon answered flatly. "You may call me whatever you wish."

"Tiamat!" Amy clapped her hands, grinning.

Lindsey visibly winced, though he did his best to hide it. Names defined things and gave them power, every mage knew that. Naming the dragon after a powerful villain, even a fictional one, was a very, VERY bad idea.

"Tiamat," the dragon rumbled, "I like that." The newly dubbed Tiamat looked around curiously, "What task do you have for me, summoner?"

"Buffy Summers and her allies threaten us," Amy said simple, "I wish for you to go forth and destroy them all."

"As you commend," Tiamat said, flexing it's great leathery wings. It made a soft noise of discontent, "It seems there it little mana in this plane." Tiamat made a animalistic shrug, "It seems I will have to walk."

They watched in a mix of awe and fear as the dragon set out, the long, snakelike beast's steps shaking the earth as it walked. Amy walked over to Lindsey once the dragon moved far enough away and quietly asked, "Why were you worried about what I named it?"

"You never summoned a creature from the Abyssial plane when you were alive?" Lindsey asked after a moment.

"No, I hadn't," Amy conceded, frowning at him.

"Creatures from that plane are formless, demonic beings of immense power," Lindsey explained, "they take on forms based on what we imagine them to be. And because they are formless, being named can grant them great power."

Amy's eyes widened a bit as she got where he was going, "Oh dear."

"Trouble, m'love?" Dru asked, slinking over sexily.

"Maybe," Amy grimaced. She looked at Lindsey, "How bad is it?"

"I don't know," Lindsey admitted, frowning. "The fictional Tiamat was a evil goddess who wanted to conquer the world..."

"So if OUR Tiamat is like that," Amy grimaced, "we could be in real trouble. How powerful do beings from the Abyssial plane get?"

"I'm not sure there is a limit to how strong it can get," Lindsey admitted.

"We'd best hope the Slayer and Tiamat kill each other off," Dru offered dryly.

"Exactly," Lindsey agreed, silently resolving to find some way to haul the vampire Amy off to the Head Office as soon as possible. The girl was too much of a loose cannon...

The dragon now named Tiamat felt a shiver of amusement as it walked off, wondering how these human could be so utterly stupid. To think that it's hearing would be as limited as their own! It was enough to make her laugh.

In fact Tiamat did, raising her muzzle to let out a laughing roar, her amusement echoing through the night. She strode through the deserted streets of Sunnydale, faintly disappointed there were no humans about. They would make a nice snack...

The women came charging around the corner and Tiamat bared it's fangs, feeling a surge of hunger. Somehow she recognized her master's enemies, and she knew she had to destroy them.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me," the one Slayer breathed out, her blonde fair falling around her face.

The brown haired woman's eyes widened, "Is that...?"

"Yup," the brown haired vampire said as she held a warrior's sword at the ready, "I really think that is a dragon."

"I am not merely a dragon," she rumbled, "I am Tiamat! I will be your death."

"Someone was a dungeons and dragons fan?" Willow noted wryly.

"Do I want to know?" Buffy asked as they watched the dragon warily.

Tiamat opened her mouth as she summoned up power, igniting her breath. With a surge of will she blasted forth a wave of fire, sending the humans scrambling for cover. Shockingly the one mortal, Tara, conjured a shield to block the flame for herself and Faith, even as Buffy and Willow moved to flank Tiamat.

'These humans are more entertaining than I thought,' Tiamat thought as she moved forward to avoid a attack by Willow. The four humans avoided attacks and struck where they could, but Tiamat shrugged off their blows even as she felt a change coming over her.

Is it me, or is this thing getting tougher?" Buffy asked as she hammered at a wing with a section of broken pipe.

"It's not just you," Willow said as she rolled to avoid a powerful blow.

Tiamat felt the power within her grow, a power she had sensed almost as soon as that foolish mortal named her. In the Abyssial plane it had known great power but had no means of exercising it, no enemies to destroy or places to rule. Here it could feel it's strength growing by leaps and bounds even as it enjoyed the sweet air and the blood of it's enemies.

'Of course, spilling these enemies blood is more difficult,' Tiamat conceded as it was leaped on by Faith, who tried to find a soft part of it's armor to stab.

"Damn it!" Faith yelled as she tried to wiggle a blade between scales. The muscles beneath the armor rolled and with a yelp she was flung upwards, then slapped out of the air by a powerful tail.

"Faith!" Tara yelled, swiftly using her magic to catch her before Faith was pulped by hitting a wall at that speed.

"You bugs are annoying me," Tiamat growled, her eyes blazing.

"Bring it," Buffy said flatly as they gathered to fight.

Tiamat studied them for a moment, then stilled. "I have been commanded to kill you," the dragon said finally, "but I was never commanded when." Tiamat began to laugh, "I have grander enemies to deal with... I will save you for later."

"What...?" Willow blinked as Tiamat rose up, unfurling it's wings then soared skyward in a burst of mystical power.

Faith picked herself up, feeling sore all over. Looking at the others she dryly asked, "This is bad, right?"

"Extremely bad," Tara agreed.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

At the headquarters of Wolfram and Hart, lawyer Lilah Morgan savored a good cup of coffee as she looked out at LA. The city was a cesspool of sin and corruption, the perfect home for them, and she reveled in playing with the powers in the city. As a lawyer here she could make or break people easily, and as head of Special Projects, well... the sky was the limit.

'Unless that fool Lindsay fails me,' Lilah brooded. The cost of failure at Wolfram and Hart was a high one, and she would have to answer for it too. The company needed a vampire with special abilities in the future, and it was possible this Amy could...

Lilah was distracted from her thoughts by a spark of something out in the night sky. She walked towards the window to see more clearly as the spark grew, expanding as something quite unearthly soared by the window.

"It can't be...," Lilah murmured, shocked.

The dragon now called Tiamat ascended to the top of the skyscraper, opening wide it's mouth as it's power soared to unheard of limits. A blue flame shimmered a moment then blasted out, exploding the top floor in a gout of flame!

"NO!" Lilah yelped as she ran for the stairs as the wave of fire pounded down through the building, "I have to..." She never finished the sentence as the fire blazed through her level, carbonizing her in a instant.

The fire ripped through the building, past wards and defenses with ease until it reached the basements, then down deeper into the earth. Scores of unearthly powers and demonic forces were released as the building exploded, swirling in worship around Tiamat.

"Follow me to the Hellmouth," Tiamat declared, "Follow me to victory over the Slayers!"

To be continued...


	31. Chapter 31

Slayer and Shadow

Part Thirty-One

Rupert Giles had learned through hard experience to maintain a certain aura of calm in his job. Even when Sunnydale fell to vampires and chaos before the Slayer returned, he had mostly kept his composure. Still, even his usual calm was shaken a bit in receiving a call from the demonic evil lawyers of Wolfram and Hart.

"Hello," Giles said flatly, not sure what to say as the secretary cheerfully put him through to one of the senior partners.

"You do not need to know my name, Rupert Giles, and I will not give it up to a magus like you easily," the male voice said to him grimly, "and in truth my name does not matter to you. All that is important is my information."

"And what would that be?" Giles had to ask warily, knowing deep down in his guts that it was not going to be good news.

"The conjured dragon Tiamat has attacked the LA offices of Wolfram and Hart and burned them to the ground," the man said darkly.

"I'm tempted to cheer," Giles said dryly after a moment.

"Then you would be a fool," the Senior said flatly in reply, "the LA office building was our primary base in this epoch, and within it were certain creatures we decided were too dangerous to be roaming freely."

Giles took off his glasses and rubbed at his eyes, feeling a headache coming on. "I take it that Tiamat freed them?" he guessed quite reasonably.

"Worse than that," the man said, "she is leading them to Sunnydale."

'It never rains but it pours,' Giles thought to himself grimly. "Will you be doing anything to help contain these things?" he asked.

"Much of our power was tied up in the building and artifacts inside it," the man sounded old, somehow. And deeply weary, too. "We cannot stop the fiends unleashed by Tiamat, in truth we do not dare. I wish you and the slayers well," he concluded, then hung up.

"Is that as bad sounding as I think it is?" Jenny Calendar asked, the older woman relaxing on Buffy's couch as the dawn began to light the sky.

"Worse, probably," Giles admitted as he put the phone down. "It seems the dragon Buffy and the others drove off has decided to follow it's own agenda. It's broken into the offices of Wolfram and Hart, destroyed the place and released all the unholy things. Presumably the beast is leading the monsters back to town as we speak."

Jenny's eyes widened, then narrowed thoughtfully. "Should we wake Buffy and Faith?" she asked worriedly.

"Most of these type of creatures are nocturnal," Giles said thoughtfully, "I think it might be best to give them a full days rest, wake them up and explain the situation then."

"Best have good coffee ready," Jenny said thoughtfully, "they'll not be in a good mood hearing about that."

Giles snorted, "Indeed."

A visibly still sleepy Dawn wandered by them, her brown hair messy as she walked through the mansion to the kitchen. "I see Buffy is out like a light," she noted, "and Faith and Tara are in the guest room. Since everyone is crashing here, I wonder how bad is it?"

"Mildly apocalyptic," Jenny answered honestly.

"Must be Tuesday," Dawn joked.

Giles hid a smile, noting that Dawn and Buffy had similar senses of humor. "I think you might want to skip school today," he suggested.

Dawn looked at him in surprise, the librarian often insisting they maintain their 'normal' lives. "It's that bad?" she blinked.

"Depends," Jenny offered, "we have a other-dimensional dragon on the loose, and it's apparently unleashed a army of minions."

"And we don't know what the minions are capable of," Giles noted, "unlike vampires and many other beasties, they may be able to function in daylight."

"Well, damn," Dawn blinked, leaning against the wall as she studied the adults. "I guess we can't warn anybody either..."

"Who would believe us?" Jenny shrugged eloquently, "Even when the town was taken over by vampires most people rationalized it by saying it was a very bloody gang war. People's ability to deny the supernatural astonishes me."

Giles nodded grimly, "There's no way we can phone the school and warn them, not without the principal thinking we're mad."

"Can I try to warn my friends?" Dawn frowned.

Jenny and Giles exchanged a look then she shrugged, "If you think they'll listen."

"Thanks," Damn said, heading off to grab the phone.

"Is there anything we can do before the Slayers get up this evening?" Jenny asked, sitting up on the couch and wincing in pain.

"I need to report in to the Watcher's council," Giles said flatly even as his thoughts raced, "then I'll call in some favors. At the very least, we might get some reinforcements out of it."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Lindsey McDonald was not one prone to panic, but after the phone call he had just received... The member of the senior partners had actually sound frightened as he revealed the destruction of the LA headquarters and the release of the creatures within. He wouldn't mourn Lila Morgan, in fact he was glad, but knowing someone as powerful as her could be so easily destroyed was terrifying. Then came the worse news.

"Wolfram and Hart is withdrawing from this dimension until the Tiamat being has been dealt with," the representative said flatly, "you are on you're own." And with that they hung up, leaving the sorcerer looking at the phone in shock.

'Oh hell,' Lindsey thought, staring at the disconnected message with dismay. He tried a few numbers for contacts he had in the company, and quickly determined no one was answering his calls. Either they were gone, or they were dead at Tia mat's hands. Or claws, he supposed.

Putting the phone away Lindsey stalked through the mansion, swiftly assessing his options. The vampires were all quiet, but human servants warily carried out the cleaning and other business. A few minor demonic servants he had summoned for Amy and Drusilla were around, but none of them were terribly combat effective.

'Can I cut and run?' Lindsey made himself ask. He knew the vampiresses would be annoyed if he fled, but he was pretty sure he could survive their wrath. The question was could he survive Wolfram and Hart? They might be hiding now but they would be back eventually, and they would not be happy about his abandoning the vampire.

With a muffled curse Lindsey walked through the building then outside, letting the sunlight wash over him. 'I have to run,' he decided, knowing that to stay would be to die, either by the Slayers hands or by Tiamat's claws. He knew some pretty good cloaking magics and could stay ahead of Wolfram and Hart if he had to.

The mystical barrier he erected around the house still shimmered in the daylight, the blood he had added to the spell making it strong enough to last multiple days. Reaching the barrier Lindsey extended his hands and chanted softly, opening up a hole long enough to step through. Once out he stopped and chanted again, this time stitching up the hole.

'All right,' Lindsey thought as he jogged away from the building, 'I need wheels. First I steal a car, then I get the hell out of Sunnydale. Then I need to look into getting some protection against Wolfram and Hart...'

The figure in the shadows smiled. His teeth even and gleaming as he remarked, "So that's how you get in and out."

Lindsey spun around, hand going for the pistol in his pocket as he saw the seemingly normal looking man. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"I am merely a minion," he said calmly as his body seemed to dissolve, scarab beetles covering the ground then racing towards Lindsey.

"No!" Lindsey fired the gun, the bullet striking the squirming mass of beetles and not making a dent. Swiftly abandoning the gun he extended his hands and chanted, a circle of flame forming around him and frying several bugs.

"Quick," the voice came as the bugs swirled around the edge of the fiery barrier, "but not quite quick enough."

A sharp burst of pain in his leg made Lindsey look down, then he whimpered softly as he saw several of the burnt beetles crawling up his legs, biting through cloth into flesh. Some kind of venom stole his voice as he collapsed, the flame shield failing as the creatures swarmed over him hungrily.

As the feeding continued other creatures emerged from the woods nearby, inhuman creatures with armored skin, scales, slime and other features. They watched with a kind of detached curiosity as the swarming bugs eat all the flesh and even the bones, leaving just rags of clothes. The creatures churned about a moment, then seemed to pull together, reforming into the form of a man.

He looked just like Lindsey McDonald, except that he had no clothes on. "Damn it," he muttered, frowning, "why can't I copy the clothes too?"

The creatures ignored that complaint, watching him curiously. Can you remove the barrier? one gurgled, green slime bubbling from it's mouth.

"Of course I can," false-Lindsey snorted, the brown haired man leading them back towards the house. "I do wonder why our mistress can't just blast the barrier down."

Another creature answered in her odd voice, **The summoning spell keeps her from harming them. But it doesn't stop us, her minions.**

The copy chanted the spell, the words taken from stolen memories as he shattered the enchantment that shielded the home. With a final phrase the wall came down, and he felt a human spirit wail as it was freed, soaring off to whatever fate awaited it.

!Kill them all! one of the beasts cried as they scrambled towards the house in the dozens, all hungry from the years spent in captivity.

The human servants tried to fight to save their mistresses, but none of them were warriors. The demons rolled over them with ease, slaughtering them as many consumed the hot flesh. The vampires, groggy in the daylight, were killed nearly as easily as the creatures bodily tore them apart.

Dru and Amy struggled valiantly, fighting like hellcats as their bedchamber was invaded. "You will all die for this," Dru said in her sing-song voice, tearing the head off a demon.

Amy tossed a fireball, then blasted a demon back with a gesture. "Who would dare do this...?" she growled out.

The false-Lindsey sauntered in, smiling as the nude man watched the fight. "Wolfram and Hart," he noted mildly, "via our Mistress Tiamat."

"I'll feed you your liver, worm," Dru promised angrily as she tore a demon's arm off and began to beat him with it.

False-Lindsey smiled coldly, "It's nothing personal."

"I'll give you personal, you bastard!" Amy exploded a third demon with a gesture.

All emotion dropped from his face as he melted back into scarabs once more. "All right everyone," the voice came from the crawling mass, "take them!"

To be continued...


	32. Chapter 32

Slayer and Shadow

Part Thirty Two

Sunnydale looked the same as the sun shone down over the California city, but appearances would be deceiving. Even as the Slayers and their usual vampire foes slept, a new breed of creature roamed the city seeking vulnerable prey. But while they were dangerous, the city wasn't without it's own protectors.

Old Man Snyder ran the city's graveyard, the small man hefting a shovel with a surprising degree of enjoyment, considering his former life. Once he had ran Sunnydale High School, paid off to turn a blind eye to the things that were going on there. But when the Master nearly took over the city his life became a nightmare, and for the first time the weasily man had been confronted by the nature of the evil he served.

Resigning Snyder went into hiding at first, but his conscience forced him out to fight. Killing lesser vamps he tried to save lives, and when the Master finally fell he found himself jobless. Taking the job at the cemetery seemed poetic justice, in a way, and he did what he could to help protect his home.

The bald man dressed in flannel and in coveralls frowned as he patrolled the graves, then stopped as he hefted his shovel. "Come out!" he called with a scowl.

She emerged from the shadows of the nearby trees, a figure of unearthly beauty. Her long black hair cascaded over her shoulders, while the red dress she wore was cut low to push up her firm, round breasts. She looked like a sex-goddess from a b-movie, and moved forward with a easy confidence.

"I'm surprised you sensed me, mortal," she said, her voice sweet like the ringing of crystal bells.

Snyder calmly hawked then spit, yellow goo hitting the grass. "I wasn't born yesterday," he said flatly, "what do you want?"

"Just to spend some time with a handsome man like yourself," the woman purred as she stalked forward, extending her hands.

"Like hell," Snyder took a step back then with surprising speed swung the shovel, hitting her with the edge of the blade.

The creature screamed as the iron in the shovel touched it, shifting from unearthly beauty to a strangely inhuman crone. "How did you break my illusion?" she cried as she scrambled back, her claw-like hand swiping at him.

Snyder drove her back with jabs and swings of the shovel, "You think pretty women just casually show up in graveyards?" He scowled fiercely, "Looks like the iron in the shovel hurt you... you some kind of elf?"

"I am of the Sidhe," the crone growled, "I walked this world when your kind were hitting each other with rocks."

Snyder pulled out the pistol from his pocket as he said, "We've progressed some since then."

The bullet took her right between the eyes, staggering her as it punched through the unearthly flesh. Before she could recover Snyder knocked her on her back, raised the shovel high and used the blade to cut through the neck. The creature convulsed a moment then slumped to the ground before slowly dissolving.

"Damn I could use a smoke," Snyder sighed as he leaned on the shovel. He made a mental note to call Rupert Giles about this, then ambled off to continue his work.

Across the small city Maggie Walsh awoke with a pounding headache, the only remains of the beer she had drank last night at the Bronze. The older woman knew she shouldn't be going out drinking like this, but it was the only way to put her memories to rest.

Getting up Maggie shuffled out of her bedroom to the bathroom, digging in the medicine cabinet for some aspirin as she considered what she had to do today. She was holding on to her job at the university by the skin of her teeth, and she couldn't afford to come in hung over. Washing her face she paused, hearing movement in her ground floor apartment

Quietly Maggie slipped out of the bathroom, her robe swirling around her as she stalked up the hall. Her eyes widened as she took in the misshapen demon sniffing the air, it's own eyes covered by scar tissue. It stood nearly six feet tall and was covered in rippling muscle, with clawed hands and what looked like a tough hide.

Maggie's first impulse was to try to call the cops, but she almost instantly dismissed it. Police would have no chance against a real monster, and there would be many needless casualties. No, if this was going to be taken care of it would have to be by herself. Thankfully, she had kept a few things when the Initiative went down in flames.

The demon grunted in annoyance as he tried to separate out the many scents of the city as he tried to find his prey. He had been sealed away by Wolfram and Hart ages ago, when men were merely slightly smarter beasts, and this new era was deeply confusing to him. There were so many scents that they nearly drowned him, and it seemed nearly impossible to find just one.

Maggie returned from the utility closet, then took aim with the crossbow. The steel bolt flew straight and true, but somehow the monster sensed it and literally snatched the bolt out of the air. "Damn," Maggie muttered then promptly shot him in the arm.

"Arrgh!" the monster yelped, turning towards Maggie in a rage.

Maggie bolted down the hall, the creature chasing her at high speed. They ducked into the bathroom, the little room hemming the monster in, As he flailed about Maggie grabbed the container she had retrieved from her weapon's stash and splashed it over him.

The acid boiled against his skin and ate down, the monster staggering in pain as he howled. He was so stunned that it was a easy thing to trip him, sending the beast to the floor. Casually Maggie hefted the ax, then raising it up she let gravity do the rest, slicing deeply into the thing's back. Black ichor splattered her as she severed the spine, then with grim determination she took it apart.

Maggie leaned against the wall, panting tiredly after dumping the demon bits into the bath tub and pouring more acid over them, just to be sure it was dead. Her arms ached, she wanted to throw up and the hangover still pounded between her temples.

"Damn it," Maggie realized, "I'm going to be late for work."

Meanwhile, a young man was pondering a deep decision that every man must face: what shirt to wear to school. Daniel 'Oz' Osbourne was a seemingly normal young man, with scruffy brown hair and a casual manner, but looks could be deceiving. Oz was a werewolf, being made one accidentally by his cousin, Jordy, though so far it hadn't changed his life much.

Yes, Oz now showed a obsession with moon phases that would put a astrologer to shame and yes, he had a bondage cage in his basement to be used when the full moon hit, but other than that he was a normal guy. Well, except for the crazed hunter that tried to kill him and his being saved by a witchy coven group. Nice ladies, and he had gotten his last two girl friends from the group.

Dressed, books over his shoulder and lunch money in his pockets, Oz was about to head out when his cellphone rang. "This may or may not be Oz, what can I do for you?" he said as he answered it.

"Oz, it's Cass," the rather annoyed woman noted, "do you have to answer the phone like that?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Oz answered cheerfully.

Cass growled, a not sexy sound at all. "Look, jackass," she said grimly, "there's trouble."

Oz perked up, listening intently. Cass was girlfriend number one from the coven, and was a pretty powerful witch in her own right. "What's going on?" he asked seriously.

"There's some kind of monster attack going on in the city," Cass reported seriously, "Jenny things they're homing in on potential threats."

Oz watched two lizard men walking up the deserted sidewalk, a third one trailing behind as they moved with a eerie smoothness. "I think you may be right," he noted, "I've got company."

"Head to the coven," Cass urged, "we'll try to protect you."

"Nah, I think I can handle this myself," Oz said cheerfully, "see you later."

It would be easier if he could change into the wolf at will. He knew his other self could tear the chasing monsters apart easily, but apparently he didn't have the knack. So instead Oz lead them away from the town and off into the surrounding brush, keeping ahead of them and laying what traps he could.

Over the next two hours Oz successfully lured one lizard into a pit-trap, and nailed the other with sharpened stakes. Two down, one to go. As Oz watched the thing following him he called out to it, "Hey, you!"

"Wolf boy," the Lizard hissed, "What do you want?"

"So far you've lost two of your buddies and I'm still here," Oz said as he moved away from the lizard-man, "seems like you're not doing too good. Why don't you just give it up and go home?"

"Our mistress commands," the lizard said, drawing out the s sound, "serve or die."

"That's gotta suck," Oz noted as they went deeper into the hills around town, "you guys ever think of unionizing?"

"What?" he asked, shaking his inhuman head.

Oz grinned, glad his comments seemed to confuse the creature. "I mean, a shop steward would at least cut down on the whole serve or die thing," he noted cheerfully, "and maybe you could get a raise. How much they paying you?"

The poor creature sounded perplexed as he echoed, "Pay?"

Chuckling Oz continued to baffle and confuse his opponent as they neared a certain cave. The lizard lumbered after him, scrambling through the brush and probably cursing in whatever language he usually spoke. They finally reached their destination as the sun was setting over the valley, both of them deeply tired and sweaty.

"Have you finally stopped running from me, human?" the lizard man rasped as they stood in a clearing by a cave.

"Yeah, I figured you'd make a good gift to my ex," Oz said tiredly. The lizard looked confused as Oz raised his voice, "Hey, Veruca!"

A low, dangerous growl came from the cave as the lizard jerked back in alarm. Sadly he was too late as a wolf bounded out of the cave, snarling angrily. Seeing him there it raced forward even as the lizard tried to run away, pouncing on him with a heavy thump.

"Oooh," Oz winced as the wolf tore and ripped, blood splattering their surroundings. "I tried to warn you," he noted as the thing was brutally killed.

A few moments later the wolf changed into a young woman, the lady looking remarkably disgusted as she walked over to him. "That thing tasted horrid," Veruca noted, "where did you find it?"

"A bunch of them showed up at my house," Oz said to her calmly, "apparently they're part of a attack on the city."

"This is why you should stay out of towns," Veruca sighed. She looked at him thoughtfully, "Any chance I can talk you into staying out here with me?"

"Sorry," Oz shook his head, "I'm used to conveniences like beds and running water."

"Wimp," Veruca chucked. She turned and walked back to the cave, hips swaying sexily, "If you ever change your mind, I'll be waiting."

Oz gulped, then with a supreme act of will made himself turn away. That was the problem with ex girlfriends, they always seemed to want to start things up again.

To be continued...

Notes: Just taking a look at some of the background characters. I've mentioned all three of these characters in earlier chapters, and I thought a demon attack on the city might serve to highlight them. I'm kind of proud I came up with a badass moment for Snyder, even if it's out of character.


	33. Chapter 33

Slayer and Shadow

Part Thirty Three

The attacking monsters were expecting to face regular vampires. In fact the creatures released by Tiamat were used to dealing with much weaker vampires that hid in daylight and lurked in remote castles, dining on the weak and the unwary. The groggy, just wakened vampires had fallen easily, but their mistresses were... proving to be more of a problem.

"Cowards!" Dru yelled as the black haired woman beat another slime monster to death, "Come face your deaths." Both women were garbed in just slinky night clothes, which would have made a erotic sight if they weren't covered in monster gore.

Beside her Amy had burned the pile of scarabs that had impersonated Lindsey to ashes, though not out of avenging a friend. Honestly she didn't care that much about the mage. But he had been her's and Dru's, and she was determined to punish anyone who dared take from them.

The blond vampire hammered another enemy back with her mind, but Amy could feel herself tiring. These things were wearing them down with pure numbers, damn it. "Dru, we can't win like this," she hissed to her lover.

Dru stabbed her fingers into one of the beast's eyes, making it stagger back, keening in pain as a greenish puss ran down it's face. "I hate running," she growled, "but you could be right."

"Buy me a few moments," Amy smiled.

If Dru had fought fiercely before, it was nothing like what she did now. Going full 'vamp face' she charged the enemy, lashing out viciously at a enemy that had already become frightened of her. She tore the head off one stunned demon and threw it at another, then bodily threw the corpse at a third before he could even fall over.

Amy ripped at a certain part of the back wall, tearing away at the plaster with her inhuman strength. When the gap behind the wall was wide enough, she turned around and called out to Dru, "It's time to go!"

"Coming," Dru kicked another rocky hided creature back then ran to Amy, then the two hurried down their revealed hidden passage.

There was a moment's silence as the creatures tried to decide if it was a good idea to try chasing them down. The only senior among the demons wiggled a fang the two vampires had knocked loose, then looked at his depleted forces.

"We're burning this place to the ground," the battered monster decided, "we'll tell the mistress they escaped in the confusion. I am not trying this again without reinforcements." He looked around at the beaten and dead creatures around him, "Lots of reinforcements."

Dru and Amy headed for the basement, where a hole had been ripped in the cement by their minions. The roughly cut gap lead into the sewers, one of the few safe ways for a vampire to travel by day. Amy had insisted on making such a emergency access at any home they lived in, and this time that foresight had paid off.

"This is just going to ruin our clothes," Dru sighed as she jumped down the hole.

Amy followed, splashing down into the sewer muck. "Better our clothes than our lives," she shrugged. She gestured up towards the house as they hurried away, "I take it this means our dragon has betrayed us?"

"Probably," Dru pouted as she said, "I guess it was a bad dragon. I shall have to find it and swat it on the nose."

Amy smiled as she squeezed her lover's hand, "We'll need to do more than that, I think. But I have some ideas n how we can do it."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

The abandoned mansion that Willow had set up shop in had become the defacto base for the city's defenders. Rupert Giles manned the phones, calling those who had helped him when the Master had ruled the city and mobilizing them. Some already knew and had had their own encounters with the demons, like Oz, and others promised to be on their guard.

Jenny Calendar contacted the coven, getting her mystic allies on the move. Their powers were not necessarily useful in direct combat, but they would make excellent medics and sources of information. She hung up from her calls and looked at Giles curiously, "What did the Watchers say?"

Giles snorted. "We already have Buffy and Faith," he said, "what more help do we need? At least that seems to be their attitude." He took off his glasses, rubbing at his eyes tiredly. "From what I can tell, they also got a call from Wolfram and Hart, and they're terrified."

Jenny declined to comment on how cowardly she felt the Watchers were normally and changed the subject. "Well, there's some good news from the Bronze," Jenny said, referring to the teen hangout that the witches covertly owned.

"Oh?" Giles looked at her.

"It seems a sort of militia is forming up," Jenny said, "Maggie Walsh is providing help, as are members of the supernatural community."

"I thought Walsh had become a drunk after being defeated by the Master?" Giles asked, looking faintly surprised.

Jenny shrugged. "One of Tiamat's followers tried to attack her in her home this morning," she revealed, "that seems to have shocked her back to her senses."

"Hopefully they won't try to take on anything too much for them," Giles sighed. Of course, he had lead ordinary men and women against vampires in the past, but things hadn't gone that well for them. In fact, they had been lucky to survive.

"I'll ask some of the less adventurous coven members to keep an eye on them," Jenny said, "it's the best we can do for now."

"True," Giles sighed. "Can I leave you here to keep an eye on the Slayers?" he asked, getting up from the dining room table.

"I suppose," she answered warily as Jenny gave him a look, "you aren't going off to do something heroic but stupid while I'm semi-concussed?"

"Nothing too heroic," Giles said dryly, "but I want to get at my home library and the rare books I have stored at school. There might be useful information on the monsters we're fighting."

Jenny clearly wanted to argue, but couldn't. "All right," she conceded, "but please, be careful."

Giles walked over and bent forward to kiss her gently. "Always," he promised.

The battered old junk heap that Giles usually drove was waiting outside, and it started up with the usual trouble. Still, it was so ugly it would never be stolen, which was the main reason he kept it. Driving into town was eerily quiet, with the majority of people locked up in their homes. Which wasn't that bad an idea against vampires, but he wasn't sure how much good it would do against demons.

Giles hit his apartment first, which was a slightly harrowing experience. Apparently something must have sensed the magic artifacts in his home, because a brutish demon was trying to break down his door. He snuck up behind it and clubbed it with his satchel, conveniently weighted down with a large brick.

Sadly, it didn't do much good.

"Gwaa!" the thing bellowed in anger, whirling around and lumbering after him as Giles quickly backed up.

Giles backed up as the thing charged at him. Reaching the end of the hall he waited as the thing ran at him, picking up momentum. At the lat moment he hit the floor, revealing the window behind him. Unable to stop fast enough the brute crashed right through the window and fell to the ground with a sickening crunch.

Giles dusted himself off as he sighed, "I meant to do that."

Briskly returning to his rooms he dumped out a old trunk and loaded it with the books he thought he might need, along with any magical trinkets remaining. Giles then hauled them bacjk to the car and headed out, thankfully before the creature he defeated could revive itself.

Sunnydale High was deserted, which didn't really surprise Giles very much. While there was no official warning he felt confident that word about the current emergency would get around. And even the skeptics would be happy to skip a day at school. He locked up the car and hurried inside, walking as fast as he could. Mustn't run, in case there were any staff here.

Giles breathed a sigh of relief as he opened the library doors, then stiffened as he saw who was there. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"Most men like seeing two half naked ladies," Dru noted mounfully, dressed in the tattered remains of her night gown.

"We haven't really had a chance to clean up," Amy shrugged eloquently.

Giles tensed, his thoughts racing. There were stakes hidden around the room, f he could get to them he might take one of them out. Maybe. I'm sorry, Jenny,' he thought as he prepared for a likely suicidal attack on them.

"Don't worry, we're not here to hurt you," Amy said with a sigh, holding up a hand.

Dru looked at him thoughtfully as she mused, "Though it'd be interesting if you tried to fight..."

Amy gave her a scolding look, "Hush." She looked back at Giles and tried for a sweet look as she said, "We need your help."

It took Giles only a moment to realize what was going on. "That thing you summoned," he said flatly, "it turned on you?"

Dru actually pouted. "All we wanted was a cute little puppy thing to play around with and use to kill the Slayer," she complained, "but it tried to kill us!"

Giles kept himself from lashing out at her for that comment, but it was a effort. "Attacked you directly or...?" he asked.

"Sent minions," Amy admitted, "the magician from Wolfram and Hart said he protected us from it. I guess that was true, but that didn't stop other things trying to kill us."

Giles studied the two vampires a moment then asked, "Why should we help you? I would think it was just deserts for you to be killed by your own summoning."

"Why did we think he'd help us?" Dru looked at Amy curiously.

Amy met Giles' eyes confidently, "Because you need us. Tiamat can't hurt us directly, and we can hurt it. Plus, the magics that bound Tiamat to this world are connected to us, you may be able to use that to send it away."

"Right," Dru nodded firmly.

Giles frowned as he said, "I don't trust you."

"Who said anything about trust?" Dru asked, suddenly tracking on the conversation. "This is just a alliance of convenience against a common foe."

Giles sighed, but knew they had a point. "I'll talk to the Slayers," he told them, "and see what they think. I won't make any promises."

"Aww," Dru pouted, crossing her arms "Where should we go while you're off talking?"

"Stay out of trouble," Giles advised as he opened up the book cage and grabbed the rare tomes, "in fact, I'd suggest staying here for now." He looked around as he muttered, "My poor library."

To be continued...


	34. Chapter 34

Slayer and Shadow

Chapter 34

There was a moment of dead silence as the figures gathered in Buffy's home digested the information. "You've GOT to be kidding," Dawn managed after a second.

"What she said," Buffy agreed.

Giles sighed, tiredly sitting back in a comfy chair. Getting back here through the demon infested Sunnydale had NOT been fun. He had been attacked twice, the first time by a foot soldier type demon he had escaped by running down with his car. A second, lizard-like creature had nearly got him except for the assistance of Maggie Walsh's volunteer militia.

Using a machine gun she had lead surviving police officers and town's people, flanking the attacking monster. Long range gun fire wounded it, then they finished it off with hammers and baseball bats. It was messy, but it ultimately worked.

"Are you all right, Mr. Giles?" Maggie Walsh asked, the older woman hefting a gore splattered tire iron. She had bore a grudge over his not supporting her military Initiative, back in the day, but seemed to have put it behind her.

"I'm fine," Giles lied, having taken quite a few painful knocks lately, then he added politely, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Maggie smiled faintly. Somewhat more seriously she asked, "Do you know what's behind all this?"

Giles shrugged, "Not entirely. It appears a summoning of some kind that went badly wrong. The entity has escaped it's summoner's control and is running amok."

"And mustering a army," Maggie said grimly. Dropping her voice she said, "There are more and more of these things turning up every hour. If you and the Watchers have a plan to stop this, I'd suggest you use it soon."

"We're working on it," Giles promised.

"Fair enough," Maggie nodded, "we'll do our best to keep things contained in the city." She turned and walked back to the band of waiting volunteers as she added, "But hurry."

Giles shook his head, getting back on track. "I don't advocate trusting Amy or Dru," he noted to his allies, "but we need their help."

"The coven is going to freak," Willow predicted darkly, the leather clad vampiress leaning on the chair Buffy was sitting at.

"I think I can confirm that," Jenny said dryly, sitting up from where she had been laying on the couch. "Rupert, do you really think we'll need them?"

"You'll need to examine them to confirm if their story is true," Giles nodded to her gravely, "but if they are connected to the dragon, it may be essencial to have them on our side."

"You have a plan, don't you?" Dawn asked excitedly.

"I have a vague idea," Giles admitted as everyone looked at him, "I would not even consider calling it a scheme at this point, much less a plan."

"Dawn, you're not getting into this anyway," Buffy added.

"It's not like I would be any safer hiding," Dawn shrugged. "I mean, the city is under all out monster attack. There's no reason to expect my hiding in the basement would be any safer than hanging with you guys."

Jenny had to admit the girl had a point, but she wasn't going to say it. Instead, she decided to change the subject as she asked, "Are Faith and Tara coming back?"

"They're on their way, after checking on the Bronze," Willow noted. She frowned, "Hopefully they don't get into too much trouble."

With a loud crash the young woman went flying through the window, hitting the street with a thump. Faith picked herself up, scowling, even as the minor demons poured out of the seedy bar they had occupied. The poor waitress who's scream had gotten their attention sprinted away up the street, abandoning them.

"Typical," Faith muttered.

Tara used her magic to grab one of the minor creatures, picking him up and flinging him into the others, slowing them down. "You all right?" she asked, helping Faith up.

"Yeah, just pissed at being caught by surprise," Faith grumbled.

The goblin/demon things charged them, but this time both women were ready. Drawing a knife Faith slashed her way through the front rank, while striking powerful blows with her hand and feet. At the same time Tara carefully threw spells, blasting the creatures away and keeping them off balance.

"Watch your left," Tara yelled as she used a spell to slam one of the creatures to the ground before it could stab Faith in the side.

Faith grinned, "Thanks love."

They braced for the next wave of creatures, only for a shot to ring out. Coming from the direction the waitress fled was a mob of people, mostly carrying inprovised weapons and one with a gun. They charged in and joined the battle, soon killing the remaining creatures.

"Thanks," the waitress beamed, wielding a gore covered baseball bat.

"No, thank you," Faith grinned back. "Faith Lehane," she introduced herself.

"Carol Penshaw," the waitress identified herself as the others made sure everyone was all right. "I'm glad I found Detective Stein and the others in time to help you."

Stein was old looking, though it might have been stress more than age that was weighing him down. Identifying himself as a Detective he nodded to them respectfully as he said, "It's not safe for you to be wandering around alone."

"I think we can manage," Tara said dryly as she used her powers to set the goblin things on fire as a precaution. Surprisingly the fighters weren't afraid of her powers, in fact they seemed ather in awe of them.

"You're Tara, I see," Stein said with a faint smile. "Your witch friends asked us to look out for you on our patrols. I'm glad you're okay."

"You're taking all this supernatural stuff pretty well," Faith noted dryly.

"I've been a cop in Sunnydale for a few years," Stein shrugged, "I've seen killer robots, mantis people and more. You either learn to cope or..."

"I see," Tara nodded.

"All right, we'd better get going," Faith said. She dropped her voice a bit, "You should be concentrating on keeping the folks safe, not hunting these things. There are a lot nastier things out and about right now."

"Do my best," Stein shrugged, trotting off to join the civilians.

As they left Tara and Faith continued their trip back to the former mansion the slayers & allies were using as a base. "Where are all of these things coming from?" Faith had to ask.

Tara answered calmly, "I think the dragon is calling them, somehow. I can feel a kind of... message going out, but it's not something I can understand."

"But if you're a demon or monster, it probably comes through loud and clear," Faith nodded thoughtfully.

They reached the lane leading up to 'home' and both women relaxed a bit. It would be nice to check in with Giles and hopefully have everyone think of a plan. Well, a plan beyond the popular idea of finding Amy and Dru and pounding them flat, anyway.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Tiamat was NOT a dragon. It was important that she remind herself of it, because form often shapes function. The foolish vampires had stuck her with the name of a goddess and the form of a beast, and the two forces were having a effect on her.

Already Tiamat had assembled a hoard, a pile of treasure to lay upon. She hadn't even thought much about it, instead the dragon had simply acted, ransaking several museums in the area for treasures. The 'bed' was uncomfortable and lumpy, but some part of her new nature demanded it. And the control her body had over her thoughts worried her.

When had she started thinking of herself as 'her' for instance? Before coming to this world the entity now calling herself Tiamat HAD no gender. In fact she had been something more like a mass of energy coupled to a consciousness. In this state she had answered petitions from corporal beings, granting power in exchange for favors, and her existance had been a blissful one. Now she was chained to this disgusting sack of flesh...

Tiamat fought back a snarl of irritation. She was trying to fight the compulsions those damn vampires had laid on her, but it was difficult. She HAD to destroy Buffy Summers and her allies, the urge beat at her consciousness like a hammer. But how to kill them was left to her, and so far at least she had been able to simply use her servants as a blunt tool. But eventually, if they failed, she would have to act.

"Have you found her?" Tiamat demanded as one of her demonic servants entered.

The red skinned, scaled creature was only roughtly human, with bulging arm muscles and large, unblinking eyes. "Yes," he said in clear English, "she was in a bedlam house, the humans unaware of what they had."

Several other servants dragged the woman in behind them, her blond hair messy and dirty. Her eyes were strangely vacant, a bit of drool running from the corner of her mouth. She would have been beautiful in other circumstances, but not now.

"Ah, Glorificus," Tiamat noted with some regret.

Once known as The Beast and the Abomination, Glorificus had been exiled from a hell dimension to Earth. Sadly, having once been a nearly infinite entity, being rammed into a human body had been too much for her sanity. She began going mad immediately, and apparently hadn't been able to stave off the madness.

'Is this my fate if I stay here?' Tiamat wondered. Would her mind eventually break down, leaving her merely a dragon or some other monster?

"Hurrr," Glorificus moaned incoherently.

Deciding there was no point in dragging this out, Tiamat opened her massive jaws whide and crunched down on the woman. The watching demons waited as bones crunched and flesh pulped, then the sounds of swallowing.

"Will consuming her feed your power mistress?" the demon asked once she was done.

Tiamat thought about explaining that she had 'freed' the essence of Glorificus, seperating her from her meat-shell and alowing her fellow being to return to her level of existence, then decided he wouldn't understand. Besides, such charity was a strange impulse to her too. Instead, she just changed the subject.

"How is the search for the Slayer going?" Tiamat asked flatly.

"Not well," the brutish demon replied, and Tiamat hid her amusement.

The dragon was bound by a compulsion to destroy the Slayers, but how she carried it out was her choice. And if she sent out her dumbest servants to find them, well... There were always loopholes, as mortals dealing with her kind often discovered to their regret. "Find the vampires," she ordered, "and deal with them. They can not continue to wander around, creating problems for us."

"Yes, mistress," he bowed, then shuffled off.

To be continued...

Notes: In Buffy canon Glory was staving off insanity by 'eating' people's sanity. I assume in this universe she was either unable to stave off her madness or some other factor stepped in.


End file.
